victim

noun

vic·​tim ˈvik-təm 

1

: one that is acted on and usually adversely affected by a force or agent

the schools are victims of the social system

: such as

a(1)

: one that is injured, destroyed, or sacrificed under any of various conditions

a victim of cancer

a victim of the auto crash

a murder victim

(2)

: one that is subjected to oppression, hardship, or mistreatment

a frequent victim of political attacks

b

: one that is tricked or duped

a con man's victim

2

: a living being sacrificed to a deity or in the performance of a religious rite

victimhood

ˈvik-təm-ˌhu̇d 

noun

Synonyms of victim

• fatality
• casualty
• prey

Examples of victim in a Sentence

the victims of a hoax

He was the victim of an error.

Recent Examples on the Web

The male victim was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. — Jason Green, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026

Prosecutor Danielle Clarke told Judge Linda Black that the alleged victim, who cannot be identified, was willing to testify again at a retrial. — ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026

While investigators have been able to use DNA analysis and traditional investigative work to identify three of the other sets of remains found in 2022, the identity of the Hemenway Harbor homicide victim has proven far more elusive. — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026

The victim's family publicly protested her early release after serving just two years of her four-year murder sentence. — Julie Watts august 20, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin victima; perhaps akin to Old High German wīh holy

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing victim

• fall victim to
• fashion victim
• victim mentality

Rhymes for victim

• dictum

Kids Definition

victim

noun

vic·​tim ˈvik-təm 

1

: a living being offered as a sacrifice in a religious rite

2

: an individual injured or killed (as by disease or accident)

3

: a person cheated, fooled, or harmed by another