martyr

1 of 2

noun

mar·​tyr ˈmär-tər How to pronounce martyr (audio)
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
martyrization noun
martyrize 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
2
: to inflict agonizing pain on : torture

Examples of martyr in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Including various legends across ancient Europe, the feast recognized the sacrifices of Valentine as a martyr, persecuted by the Roman Empire and killed for his Christian faith. Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 8 Feb. 2024 Then, in between laughs and impersonations and a one-woman show’s worth of characters, she’s asked about a specific scene in Oppenheimer, Nolan’s epic biography about the nuclear physicist and political martyr and the man who would be destroyer of worlds. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Feb. 2024 Bellugi gives a sufficiently winsome performance to paper over the essential dullness of her character, as Teresa pivots from noble martyr to inspiring leader, while her female peers are largely conceived in cheery girlboss shorthand. Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 Feb. 2024 Don’t be a complete martyr. · Make an appointment with your doctor for a full checkup. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2024 Hamas has praised civilians as martyrs, whose deaths rally sympathy for the Palestinian cause. Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2024 The entrepreneur has since worked to flip the narrative and portray himself as a martyr who was willing to pay $44 billion out of his pocket to restore free speech to the American people. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2024 The amount of our martyrs — 57 — testifies to this. Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 3 Nov. 2023 The Israelis also have proposed that senior Hamas leaders agree to leave Gaza, but one official familiar with the negotiations said the idea was a nonstarter for the group and its military leaders, who are prepared to die as martyrs in the Palestinian enclave. John Hudson, arkansasonline.com, 26 Jan. 2024
Verb
Our children have been injured, amputated and martyred. Khader Al Za’anoun, CNN, 22 Feb. 2024 Second, she was legally hounded and served prison time for real, as opposed to being symbolically martyred. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 But the tragedy of the Apollo’s exit — martyred at the hands of glowering Soviet boxer Ivan Drago (Lundgren) in a Cold War perversion of Joe Louis’ matchup with German champ Max Schmeling — was thrilling in a more primordial way, like a comic book answer to Shakespeare or the Greeks. Vulture, 4 Feb. 2024 Does the terrible suffering visited upon the Jewish people by Nazi Germany invest them with the rights of the martyred and grant them a kind of moral droit du seigneur? Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024 Why bring back Ellen Burstyn only to martyr her force? Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 4 Oct. 2023 Winner comes across as a sympathetic figure and a martyr, but Satter leaves ambiguous what exactly she’s been martyred for. David Klion, The New Republic, 5 June 2023 The grandson of Prophet Muhammad was martyred in Muharram; an event that is commemorated with great emphasis in Shia congregations. Manal Aman, Woman's Day, 12 June 2023 Her choice to martyr herself to a husband who sounds like a selfish deadbeat must seem puzzling to you, but your role here is not to fix her life. Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 18 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'martyr.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of martyr was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near martyr

Cite this Entry

“Martyr.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/martyr. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

martyr

1 of 2 noun
mar·​tyr ˈmärt-ər How to pronounce martyr (audio)
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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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