martyr

1 of 2

noun

mar·​tyr ˈmär-tər 

1

: a person who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty for declaring belief in and refusing to renounce a religion

the early Christian martyrs

2

: a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle

a martyr to the cause of freedom

After the war, they were honored as martyrs with schools, streets and town squares bearing their names.

—Phil Davison

The veneration of the morally exalted also obtains in the nonreligious sphere, where there is an actual category of "secular saints." … The ranks of secular saints, like those of religious ones, include not a few martyrs: Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr.

—Cullen Murphy

3

: victim

This time the solo paddling nearly kills me, and I am a martyr to the white water, battered and buffeted at every turn.

—Hamish Bowles

especially : a great or constant sufferer

… a martyr to asthma all his life …

—A. J. Cronin

martyrization

ˌmär-tə-rə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

martyrize

ˈmär-tə-ˌrīz 

transitive verb

martyr

2 of 2

verb

martyred; martyring; martyrs

transitive verb

1

: to put to death for adhering to a belief, faith, or profession

martyred for fighting for justice

2

: to inflict agonizing pain on : torture

Examples of martyr in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

What to Know Maloyan was an Armenian bishop and martyr who was killed during the Ottoman genocide in 1915. —Jenni Fink, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025

Some religious leaders are calling him a martyr, as his faith drove his politics. —Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 22 Oct. 2025

Verb

Charlie Kirk invited me to speak at Amfest a few weeks ago before he was martyred. —Mandy Taheri jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025

His desperate, lacerating Teddy is a character who has ruined his own life, who has martyred himself out of his devotion to The Truth. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Old English, from Late Latin, from Greek martyr-, martys witness

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing martyr

• play the martyr

Rhymes for martyr

• arter
• barter
• charter
• darter
• garter
• smarter
• starter
• tartar

Kids Definition

martyr

1 of 2 noun

mar·​tyr ˈmärt-ər 

1

: a person who suffers death rather than give up his or her religion

2

: one who sacrifices life or something of great value for a principle or cause

3

: a person who suffers greatly

martyr

2 of 2 verb

1

: to put to death for refusing to give up a belief

2

: torture entry 2