sacrifice

noun sac·ri·fice \ ˈsa-krə-ˌfīs also -fəs or -ˌfīz \

Updated on: 21 May 2018

Definition of sacrifice

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 hit

See sacrifice defined for English-language learners

See sacrifice defined for kids

Examples of sacrifice in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of sacrifice from the Web

What black homeschoolers have in common, Fields-Smith added, is a willingness to make relatively extreme sacrifices for their children’s education.

— melinda d. anderson, The Atlantic, "The Radical Self-Reliance of Black Homeschooling," 17 May 2018
In another clip, Brie Bella confronts her sister over making too many sacrifices for Cena.

— nick schwartz, For The Win, "What's going on with John Cena and Nikki Bella? A timeline," 15 May 2018
In another clip, Brie Bella confronts her sister over making too many sacrifices for Cena.

— nick schwartz, azcentral, "What's going on with John Cena, Nikki Bella?," 15 May 2018
Black mothers are traditionally encouraged to be the backbone of the family unit, the leading person that makes substantial sacrifices for the prosperity of the family.

— alisha acquaye, Teen Vogue, "Giving Mother's Day Beauty Gifts Is Complicated for Me," 13 May 2018
Some Californians could be forced to turn down their air conditioners, hold off on doing their laundry or make other sacrifices in the name of energy conservation.

— dale kasler, sacbee, "Summer just got a little hotter: The state might have you turn down your AC | The Sacramento Bee," 9 May 2018
Like everyone who buys $200,000 convertibles, Aston Martin customers don’t like the idea of making any sacrifices for the right to feel their Hermès scarves flap in the wind coming off the Riviera.

— alex davies, WIRED, "Unfold the Complex Engineering of Aston Martin's Super Swanky Convertible," 9 May 2018
The environmentally friendly material makes no sacrifices in surface durability.

— jessica levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Inpro’s obsessions pay large dividends," 4 May 2018
The students reflected on the selflessness of her acts, and discussed her as a role model who would make sacrifices for the good of her country.

— alice driver, Longreads, "No Journalist Should Have to Know How to Survive in Prison," 3 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of sacrifice

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

sacrifice Synonyms

Synonyms

immolation, offering, victim;

Related Words

libation, propitiation;

holocaust;

contribution, donation;

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

Zen, antinomian, avatar, gnosticism, illuminati, ineffable, karma, koan, mantra

sacrifice

verb

Definition of sacrifice

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 hit

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

See sacrifice defined for English-language learners

Examples of sacrifice in a Sentence

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 of sacrifice from the Web

Zeni's death raises crucial - and familiar - questions about for-profit nursing homes that have long been accused of sacrificing patient care to minimize costs and maximize bottom lines.

— kristine phillips, ajc, "She modeled in New York and worked for the Navy. At 93, parasites ate her alive at a Georgia nursing home.," 2 May 2018
In it, the authors held CHSAS up as a model high school addressing a real need for inclusive programs that prepare high school students for both careers and college, all without sacrificing rigor.

— valerie strauss, Washington Post, "Down on the farm, these high school students get a unique public education," 25 Apr. 2018
In the past three years, the Barbadian singer has proven her impeccable ability to generate brand buzz and unprecedented revenue, without sacrificing diversity.

— megan decker, Harper's BAZAAR, "Rihanna Announces the Launch Date for Her Lingerie Line, Savage x Fenty," 24 Apr. 2018
The three-bed-two-bath residence has been sympathetically updated in parts without sacrificing period details.

— lauren ro, Curbed, "Midcentury modern charmer wants $799K," 9 Apr. 2018
This gives workers the tools to bargain with, without sacrificing anyone’s privacy.

— The Economist, "How to narrow Britain’s gender-pay gap," 7 Apr. 2018
By pairing the secondary drive with an Optane module, Intel claims that gamers can load levels up to 4.7 times faster than with a standalone hard drive, approaching SSD-like performance without sacrificing capacity.

— mark hachman, PCWorld, "Intel ushers responsive Optane memory into laptops with Core i5+, i7+, and i9+ brands," 3 Apr. 2018
Adam very patiently helped us find cost savings without sacrificing the elements of the design that were most important to us.

— birmingham magazine, AL.com, "Opinion: Birmingham is made of grit and charm," 23 Mar. 2018
Bella Thorne is braving the winter weather without sacrificing an ounce of her playful, signature style.

— avery matera, Teen Vogue, "Bella Thorne Wears See-Through Pink Turtleneck," 21 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of sacrifice

14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

sacrifice Synonyms

Synonyms

immolate, offer;

Related Words

consecrate, dedicate, devote;

give, hand over, surrender, yield;

SACRIFICE Defined for English Language Learners

sacrifice

noun

Definition of sacrifice for English Language Learners

: the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone
: an act of killing a person or animal in a religious ceremony as an offering to please a god
: a person or animal that is killed in a sacrifice

sacrifice

verb

Definition of sacrifice for English Language Learners

: to give up (something that you want to keep) especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone
: to kill (a person or animal) in a religious ceremony as an offering to please a god
baseball : to make a sacrifice bunt

SACRIFICE Defined for Kids

sacrifice

noun sac·ri·fice \ ˈsa-krə-ˌfīs \

Definition of sacrifice for Students

1 : the act or ceremony of making an offering to God or a god especially on an altar

2 : something offered as a religious act

3 : an act of giving up something especially for the sake of someone or something else

We were happy to make a sacrifice of our time to help a friend in need.

4 : something given up especially for the sake of helping others

Word Root of sacrifice

The Latin word sacer, meaning “holy,” and the related word sānctus, also meaning “holy,” give us the roots sacr and sanct. Words from the Latin sacer or sānctus have something to do with holiness. A sanctuary is a holy place. Anything sacred is holy. To sacrifice is to dedicate as a holy offering to a god.

sacrifice

verb

Definition of sacrifice for Students

sacrificed; sacrificing

1 : to offer or kill as a religious act

The ancient ritual involved sacrificing an animal.

2 : to give up (something) especially for the sake of something or someone else

They sacrificed their lives for their country.

Learn More about sacrifice

See words that rhyme with sacrifice Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for sacrifice Spanish Central: Translation of sacrifice Nglish: Translation of sacrifice for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sacrifice for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sacrifice

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sacrifice

Definition of sacrifice

Examples of sacrifice in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sacrifice from the Web

Origin and Etymology of sacrifice

sacrifice Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

sacrifice

Definition of sacrifice

sacrificer

Examples of sacrifice in a Sentence

Recent Examples of sacrifice from the Web

First Known Use of sacrifice

sacrifice Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Phrases Related to SACRIFICE

Related Phrases

SACRIFICE Defined for English Language Learners

sacrifice

Definition of sacrifice for English Language Learners

sacrifice

Definition of sacrifice for English Language Learners

SACRIFICE Defined for Kids

sacrifice

Definition of sacrifice for Students

Word Root of sacrifice

sacrifice

Definition of sacrifice for Students

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