crucify

play

verb cru·ci·fy \ˈkrü-sə-ˌfī\

Definition of crucify

crucified

;

crucifying

transitive verb
1 : to put to death by nailing or binding the wrists or hands and feet to a cross
2 : to destroy the power of : mortify crucify the flesh
3a : to treat cruelly : tormentb : pillory 2 crucified in the press

crucifier

play \ˈkrü-sə-ˌfī-ər\ noun

See crucify defined for English-language learners

See crucify defined for kids

Examples of crucify in a Sentence

They crucified her in the newspapers for having an affair.

Recent Examples of crucify from the Web

Speaking to a nation in its third year of recession and a constituency of farmers devastated by their debts, Bryan famously pleaded not to crucify mankind on a cross of gold.

— by ken anderson, miamiherald, "Currencies, policies and politics are all intertwined," 9 July 2017
Mollinger’s chapel is purportedly home to 22 splinters of the True Cross (on which Jesus was crucified), a scrap from the Virgin Mary’s veil, and bones from all 12 of Jesus’s apostles.

— joni sternbach, Smithsonian, "A Pittsburgh Church Holds the Greatest Collection of Relics Outside of the Vatican," 30 June 2017
Behind him was a blinking router balanced on the base of a cross with a tiny crucified Jesus and a golden statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

— alice driver, Longreads, "Father of Migrants," 30 June 2017
Heroes typically get crucified or martyred in the end.

— russell blair, courant.com, "Democrats Say Comey's Testimony Was 'Chilling'," 8 June 2017
The church was built to commemorate the location where most Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried.

— brooke singman, Fox News, "Trump's Twitter page commemorates his visit to the Western Wall," 23 May 2017
The church was built to commemorate the location where most Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried.

— brooke singman, Fox News, "Trump's Twitter page commemorates his visit to the Western Wall," 23 May 2017
The church was built to commemorate the location where most Christians believe Jesus was crucified and buried.

— Fox News, "Trump says Iran threat bringing Arab nations closer to Israel," 22 May 2017
Now called the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, it is believed by many Christians to house a piece of the cross on which Jesus was crucified, his tomb and the site of his resurrection.

— daniel burke, CNN, "Jerusalem's 5 most contested holy sites," 22 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crucify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of crucify

Middle English crucifien, from Anglo-French crucifier, from Late Latin crucifigere

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First Known Use: 14th century

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CRUCIFY Defined for English Language Learners

crucify

play

verb

Definition of crucify for English Language Learners

: to kill (someone) by nailing or tying his or her hands and feet to a cross
: to criticize (someone or something) very harshly

CRUCIFY Defined for Kids

crucify

play

verb cru·ci·fy \ˈkrü-sə-ˌfī\

Definition of crucify for Students

crucified

;

crucifying

1 : to put to death by nailing or binding the hands and feet to a cross
2 : to treat cruelly or harshly Dishonest judges were crucified in the newspapers.