1
: one that is acted on and usually adversely affected by a force or agent
the schools are victims of the social system
: such as
a(1)
: one that is injured, destroyed, or sacrificed under any of various conditions
a victim of cancer
a victim of the auto crash
a murder victim
(2)
: one that is subjected to oppression, hardship, or mistreatment
a frequent victim of political attacks
b
: one that is tricked or duped
a con man's victim
2
: a living being sacrificed to a deity or in the performance of a religious rite
Examples of victim in a Sentence
the victims of a hoax
He was the victim of an error.
Recent Examples on the Web
Some of the victims had been wearing backpacks equipped with airbags that can help keep people on the surface of an avalanche, but had not pulled the cords to deploy the bags, the report said.
—
Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
Everyone involved was safely brought out of the water, though four of the seven victims were taken to the hospital.
—Ted Scouten, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
The robotic characters break free from their restaurant resting place to cause chaos in town, while the villainous Marionette pops up to possess victims for her own nefarious purposes.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Six phone calls made from one of the suspect numbers — in between calls to the San Francisco victim on the day of his robbery — were to a Los Angeles man who was zip-tied, duct-taped and beaten inside his Los Angeles home on New Year’s Eve, following a delivery ruse.
—Megan Cassidy, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for victim
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Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
Everyone involved was safely brought out of the water, though four of the seven victims were taken to the hospital.
—Ted Scouten, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
The robotic characters break free from their restaurant resting place to cause chaos in town, while the villainous Marionette pops up to possess victims for her own nefarious purposes.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
Six phone calls made from one of the suspect numbers — in between calls to the San Francisco victim on the day of his robbery — were to a Los Angeles man who was zip-tied, duct-taped and beaten inside his Los Angeles home on New Year’s Eve, following a delivery ruse.
—Megan Cassidy, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for victim
Cite this Entry
“Victim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/victim. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
victim
noun
vic·tim
ˈvik-təm 
1
: a living being offered as a sacrifice in a religious rite
2
: an individual injured or killed (as by disease or accident)
3
: a person cheated, fooled, or harmed by another
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