crucify

verb

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cru·ci·fy | \ ˈkrü-sə-ˌfī

crucified; crucifying

Definition of crucify

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 : torment

b : pillory sense 2 crucified in the press

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Examples of crucify in a Sentence

They crucified her in the newspapers for having an affair.

Recent Examples on the Web Christians at their best embody the mercy of Jesus in the gospels: willing to be crucified, that greatest act of love, which led to the Resurrection, that unprecedented act of hope that changed the course of history and human lives. — Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review, "Do You Think about Iraq?," 16 Dec. 2019 One of the highlights of the trip will be Francis’ prayer Sunday at the memorial of the 26 Nagasaki Martyrs, who were crucified in 1597 at the start of the two-century wave of anti-Christian persecution by Japanese rulers. — Washington Post, "Francis fulfills dream, goes to Japan as missionary pope," 23 Nov. 2019 In the original, Herod mocks and goads Jesus before sending him back to be crucified. — Stephen Daw, Billboard, "Randy Rainbow Declares Trump Is Not the 'Chosen One' in New 'Jesus Christ Superstar' Parody," 29 Aug. 2019 One argument made for the reality of the Resurrection is the astonishing growth of Christianity from a few followers who scattered, frightened, when Jesus was crucified. — Greg Garrison, AL.com, "Easter Sunday: Christians share 'why we believe'," 1 Apr. 2018 Other Bible passages suggest that Jesus wept in the garden of Gethsemane before he was crucified (Luke 22: 37-39), but surely Jesus cried more often than scripture records. — Maureen Stanton, Longreads, "Through a Glass, Tearfully," 17 Jan. 2020 Basking in the warm, rosy glow of nostalgia, legions of die-hards with opinions cemented over decades stand ready to crucify the final product if anything is amiss. — Joey Capparella, Car and Driver, "2021 Ford Bronco: Get the Inside Story Before the Official Reveal," 9 Jan. 2020 One of the highlights of the trip will be Francis’ prayer Sunday at the memorial of the 26 Nagasaki Martyrs, who were crucified in 1597 at the start of the two-century wave of anti-Christian persecution by Japanese rulers. — USA TODAY, "Pope Francis to push for nuclear disarmament during Japan visit," 24 Nov. 2019 Enemies were crucified, burned alive, drowned in cages, beheaded with slow saws, while everything was filmed and posted online for the world to observe and dread. — The Economist, "Obituary: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi died on October 26th," 2 Nov. 2019

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.