sacrifice

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

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
3a : destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something elseb : 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

With runners on second and third and one out, Yuli Gurriel hit a fly ball that appeared to score Jose Altuve from third on sacrifice.

— ryan divish, The Seattle Times, "Mariners’ streak snapped at five in 6-2 loss to Houston," 18 July 2017
Many people would rather not make that sacrifice, even for the prospect of large material rewards.

— The Economist, "If borders were openA world of free movement would be $78 trillion richer," 13 July 2017
Jack Douglas then followed with a sacrifice fly, capping a wild comeback for a 9-8 win over Naperville North in the Phil Lawler Summer Classic.

— paul johnson, Naperville Sun, "Kaneland completes comeback win from 8-0 deficit over Naperville North," 11 July 2017
The novel rarely dwells on the potential consequences of wrestling through injury; rather, Habash glorifies certain aspects of Stephen’s sacrifice.

— alex mcelroy, The Atlantic, "Stephen Florida Reveals the Dark Toll of Athletic Greatness," 4 July 2017
The Royals’ Whit Merrifield led off the game with a double, moved to third on a flyout to center and scored on Lorenzo Cain’s shallow sacrifice fly to right field.

— adam jude, The Seattle Times, "No fireworks from the home bats as Kansas City beats Mariners," 3 July 2017
James Brady, Ronald Reagan’s press secretary, almost made the ultimate sacrifice as well, taking a bullet during the assassination attempt on Reagan’s life in front of the Washington Hilton Hotel on March 30, 1981.

— vanityfair.com, "There’s Nowhere Left for Sean Spicer to Hide," 28 June 2017
Still, the runner on third scored on the sacrifice fly to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead.

— zach buchanan, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Reds recap: Team rebounds after blowing lead to beat Milwaukee Brewers," 28 June 2017
The consumer should recognize that these restaurants are definitely making sacrifices to offer the $5 burger.

— dana mcmahan, The Courier-Journal, "Get ready for $5 burgers during Louisville Burger Week," 28 June 2017

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

See Words from the same year

Other Religion (Eastern and Other) Terms

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

sacrifice

verb sac·ri·fice

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

The most obvious consequence would be that the air sacs allowed sauropods to keep their bones light without sacrificing strength.

— brian switek, Scientific American Blog Network, "Secret Air Sacs Made This Dinosaur Extra Light," 15 May 2017
Both Jack and Rebecca have sacrificed their own dreams to provide the best lives possible for their three kids.

— jean bentley, Redbook, "Stop Praising TV Dads for Doing the Bare Minimum," 14 Apr. 2017
Inevitably, dishes will be sacrificed to Hurricane Kiddo or The Clumsy Husband.

— bridget mallon, ELLE Decor, "8 Home Items You Should Be Buying On The Cheap," 8 Oct. 2015

First Known Use of sacrifice

14th century

SACRIFICE Defined for English Language Learners

sacrifice

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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

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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

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verb sac·ri·fice

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.