sacrifice

1 of 2

noun

sac·​ri·​fice ˈsa-krə-ˌfīs How to pronounce sacrifice (audio)
 also  -fəs,
 or  -ˌfīz
1
: an act of offering to a deity something precious
especially : the killing of a victim on an altar
2
: something offered in sacrifice
3
a
: destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else
b
: something given up or lost
the sacrifices made by parents
4
: loss
goods sold at a sacrifice
5

sacrifice

2 of 2

verb

sacrificed; sacrificing

transitive verb

1
: to offer as a sacrifice
2
: to suffer loss of, give up, renounce, injure, or destroy especially for an ideal, belief, or end
3
: to sell at a loss
4
: to advance (a base runner) by means of a sacrifice bunt
5
: to kill (an animal) as part of a scientific experiment

intransitive verb

1
: to make or perform the rites of a sacrifice
2
: to make a sacrifice hit in baseball
sacrificer noun

Examples of sacrifice in a Sentence

Noun The war required everyone to make sacrifices. No sacrifice is too great when it comes to her children. He made many personal sacrifices to provide help to the city's homeless people. The war required much sacrifice from everyone. a place where priests performed human sacrifices in ancient rituals The villagers hoped the gods would accept their sacrifice. The goat was offered as a sacrifice. The runner went to second base on a sacrifice. Verb She's had to sacrifice a lot for her family. He sacrificed his personal life in order to get ahead in his career. I want to follow a diet that is healthful without sacrificing taste. She was able to ask for their help without sacrificing her dignity. She was willing to suffer, sacrifice, and work for success. a place where people were sacrificed in ancient rituals He sacrificed in his first at bat.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The movie explains many unique aspects of Pacific Islander culture—Demigod, sacrifices, and traditional roles in society to list a few. Akruti Babaria, Parents, 5 Mar. 2024 Reaching this phase did not come without some sacrifices, smart money moves, and hard work. Holly Corbett, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Mother-daughter narratives have as profuse a tradition, but with a key difference: In those stories, no matter how complex the interplay of competition and control and selfishness and sacrifice and ego, there’s the base line belief that a relationship is supposed to exist into adulthood. Mark Harris Keita Morimoto, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 The monument remembers the sacrifice of 18 U.S. Marines and 11 Republic of Korea Marines who were killed when their Marine Corps CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter crashed during a night-time joint military training exercise in South Korea. Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2024 The result is an edge-of-your-seat documentary thriller set in the early 1970s, blending elements of espionage, courage, sacrifice and jaw-dropping twists, complete with false-bottom suitcases full of pamphlets. Thinus Ferreira, Variety, 26 Feb. 2024 Those sacrifices included Anthony working multiple jobs, remortgaging his home and pouring their savings into Lewis’ racing. Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 The process of traveling for me, as for many disabled travelers, is not without sacrifice. Sophie Morgan, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Feb. 2024 This year, more than any other, has been the year of sacrifice. Shane Young, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
Meanwhile, Wall Street started to turn on legacy media companies including Disney, Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery, which had sacrificed traditional television and box office revenue to fuel their streaming ambitions. Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Bringing a slinky twist to the character without sacrificing an ounce of her strength, Thandiwe Newton makes the most of her rich British accent and haughty, fiery delivery (emphasized by Mona's lighter-flicking habit). Debby Wolfinsohn, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 Lawmakers want to see if this can be done without sacrificing quality or safety, and are asking FSSA to make a determination by Oct. 1, 2026. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Adding a white shoe to a black outfit is the perfect way to get the effect of a pop of color, without sacrificing the look's sleek monochrome. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 5 Mar. 2024 Such claims mislead customers and insult the Ukrainians who sacrifice their essential lives to defend freedom for all. Bennett Freeman, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 In any case, the House will lose three key Democrats who sacrificed their seats to run for Senate. Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 While Rih chose not to sacrifice her look, Rocky made his rain gear part of his outfit. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2024 The year before that the team lost 10 players from its league championship team, among them leading scorer Cristian Arango and MLS Cup hero Gareth Bale, who were both sacrificed to the salary cap. Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sacrifice.' 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

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin sacrificium, from sacr-, sacer + facere to make — more at do

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sacrifice was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near sacrifice

Cite this Entry

“Sacrifice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sacrifice. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sacrifice

1 of 2 noun
sac·​ri·​fice ˈsak-rə-ˌfīs How to pronounce sacrifice (audio)
-fəs
1
: an act of offering something precious to God or a god
especially : the killing of a victim on an altar
2
: something offered in sacrifice
3
: a giving up of something especially for the sake of someone else
also : something so given up
4
: loss of profit
sell goods at a sacrifice

sacrifice

2 of 2 verb
sac·​ri·​fice
ˈsak-rə-ˌfīs,
-ˌfīz
sacrificed; sacrificing
1
: to offer or perform as a sacrifice
2
: to give up for the sake of something else
3
: to sell at a loss
4
: to make a sacrifice hit
sacrificer noun
Etymology

Noun

Middle English sacrifice "the act of offering something to God or a god," from early French sacrifice (same meaning), from Latin sacrificium "sacrifice," from sacr-, sacer "sacred" and -ficium, from facere "to do, make" — related to sacred

More from Merriam-Webster on sacrifice

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