sacrifice

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

|Updated on: 16 Jul 2018

Examples: sacrifice in a Sentence

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

Cruz stole third base and scored on a sacrifice bunt.

— bob narang, Lake County News-Sun, "Totally Tessitore: Dylan Tessitore pitches gem as Mundelein marks dominant win over Waukegan in summer regional," 9 July 2018
Sadly, articles about young men who have paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country is nothing new.

— hilary decent, Naperville Sun, "Decent: Tribute to fallen soldier keeps his memory alive," 6 July 2018
The Tennessee native made extreme sacrifices for the United States, choosing to protect and serve his country, which is an act of heroism, yet paid an unfair price in losing both his legs.

— justin barrasso, SI.com, "The Week in Wrestling: AXS TV’s Mark Cuban Hopes for More Live NJPW Specials," 5 July 2018
The dying cell sacrifices its life so that the group can reproduce.

— elizabeth pennisi, Science | AAAS, "The momentous transition to multicellular life may not have been so hard after all," 28 June 2018
Children are expected to show appreciation for everything a parent sacrifices, gives and does to make sure their child or children are set up for success.

— louis steptoe, USA TODAY, "Despite reunion with father, teen still celebrates what he calls 'Father Figure Day'," 15 June 2018
Jordan's perfect Finals record represents, to many, a triumph of the individual quest, of sacrifice, of an uncompromising and relentless need to conquest.

— shawn windsor, Detroit Free Press, "Michael Jordan's mystique clouds our memories: LeBron is the G.O.A.T," 29 May 2018
This unoccupied seat is dedicated to the memory of those brave men and women and to the sacrifices made in serving this country.

— meghan overdeep, Southern Living, "Moving Photo of Braves Fan Holding Umbrella for Marine Corps Junior ROTC Cadet Goes Viral," 29 May 2018
One of the most moving things about this story in addition to the tremendous sacrifice and bravery of the women, was also just how generous fellow reporters were.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Journalist Ronan Farrow on Recode Decode," 4 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

One day soon, the best mercenaries will be willing to sacrifice money and years to play alongside Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

— marcus hayes, Philly.com, "Sixers weren't ready for LeBron James or Paul George | Marcus Hayes," 4 July 2018
In Maya and Veracruz cultures, the stakes were even higher: The losers of some ritual games were sacrificed.

— erin blakemore, National Geographic, "Where Did Soccer Start? Archaeology Weighs In.," 15 June 2018
Japan will also be watching with ambivalence – happy to see the saber-rattling ending but worried its security might be sacrificed in Trump's rush to neutralize the North Korean threat to the United States.

— robert birsel, Anchorage Daily News, "Trump, Kim launch historic Singapore summit with a handshake," 12 June 2018
As for what type of mom is willing to sacrifice the traditional corsage and restaurant homage for harnesses, helmet and heights, Kathy Bundy of Crown Point is the perfect person to ask.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "NWI’s first aerial park Edge Adventures celebrating start of 2nd season," 16 May 2018
Whatever the face of social media is, people are more than willing to sacrifice this abstract notion of privacy that Russell’s bureaucrats care about in pursuit of this community thing.

— recode staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Former Facebook ad targeting boss Antonio García-Martínez on Too Embarrassed to Ask," 14 May 2018
Garmin redesigned the smallest model, the 42mm Fenix 5S Plus, to have a display that's about 20 percent larger than its predecessor so those who want a smaller case don't have to sacrifice screen space to get it.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Garmin brings music, NFC payments, onboard mapping to Fenix 5 Plus watches," 18 June 2018
Instead, this is the company’s effort to offer a quieter ride without sacrificing too much emotional connection.

— sean o'kane, The Verge, "Here’s the fake noise the Jaguar I-Pace makes when you hit the throttle," 13 June 2018
What else does Meghan have to sacrifice or embrace in her new royal life?

— lisa ryan, The Cut, "What Things Will Meghan Markle Have to Give Up to Be Royal?," 23 May 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.