martyr

noun

mar·tyr | \ ˈmär-tər

Definition of martyr

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a person who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty of witnessing to and refusing to renounce a religion

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

3 : victim especially : a great or constant sufferer a martyr to asthma all his life — A. J. Cronin

martyr

verb

martyred; martyring; martyrs

Definition of martyr (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

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

2 : to inflict agonizing pain on : torture

Other Words from martyr More Example Sentences Learn More about martyr

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Other Words from martyr

Noun

martyrization \ ˌmär-tə-rə-ˈzā-shən

\ noun

martyrize \ ˈmär-tə-ˌrīz

\ transitive verb

Examples of martyr in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Her illustration of Saint Peter the Aleut — a native of the Kodiak Islands who was considered a martyr by the Russian Orthodox Church, but may have been completely made up — draws inspiration from Russian icons. — Alicia Eler, Star Tribune, "Dakota artist Marlena Myles brings Native culture into the future," 28 Jan. 2021 Arresting him would certainly elevate his image as a political martyr among his backers. — Washington Post, "Russian opposition leader Navalny again tests Kremlin: Supporters await return while officials threaten arrest," 17 Jan. 2021 She was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1886 as a martyr for her faith. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "What Margaret Pole, Laura Carmichael’s Character on The Spanish Princess, Was Really Like," 9 Oct. 2020 Lucia was a young Christian martyr of the early 4th century who is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Orthodox churches. — Joy Wallace Dickinson, orlandosentinel.com, "St. Lucia Festival returns to honor Central Florida’s Swedish heritage," 1 Dec. 2019 The team also restores delicate sculptures depicting Catholic martyrs made from wood and cloth that are often missing heads or arms. — Fox News, "AP PHOTOS: Peruvian restoration center rescues art from ruin," 4 July 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Ursula, legend holds, was a British princess martyred in Germany in the 4th century, along with as many as 11,000 of her holy companions. — T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream, "A Puerto Rican Fishing Road Trip for Silver Kings, Bigmouths, Mullet, and More," 27 May 2020 The name speaks to a cherished legend about 11,000 virgins, followers of St. Ursula, who arrived in town by boat in medieval times and were eventually martyred in Cologne. — Dave Seminara, New York Times, "36 Hours in Basel," 20 Feb. 2020 The Catholic Church recognized at least three different saints with the same Roman name, all of whom were later martyred. — cleveland, "The long history of Valentine’s Day told as a short story at The Normandy in Rocky River," 10 Feb. 2020 Start the story with Emiliano Zapata, the peasant leader from a village in the central state of Morelos, who was tricked into a military ambush and martyred in 1919. — Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "The Lasting Influence of Mexico’s Great Muralists," 24 Feb. 2020 The search launched Friday, Valentine's Day, a holiday that commemorates the day Saint Valentine was martyred. — Ella Torres, ABC News, "The birthplace of Saint Valentine is looking for an American partner," 14 Feb. 2020 Commemorations culminated in Ashura, on the tenth of the month, when Hussein was martyred. — The Economist, "Trapped in Iran," 28 Jan. 2020 Khan Mohammad another villager said that on the day of the incident there were around 100 to 110 worshippers in the mosque, of which more than 70 were martyred and more than 30 others were wounded. — Rahim Faiez, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Afghan village buries its dead after mosque bombing kills 66," 19 Oct. 2019

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