victimize

verb

vic·​tim·​ize ˈvik-tə-ˌmīz 

victimized; victimizing

transitive verb

1

: to make a victim of

2

: to subject to deception or fraud : cheat

victimization

ˌvik-tə-mə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

victimizer

ˈvik-tə-ˌmī-zər 

noun

Synonyms of victimize

• cheat
• pluck
• squeeze
• sting
• hustle
• deceive
• screw
• defraud
• beat
• stick
• do

Examples of victimize in a Sentence

They were victimized because of their religion.

victimized by a confidence man with a slick story

Recent Examples on the Web

As their investigation continues, LAPD detectives ask anyone who believes that they may have been victimized by Montes to contact them at [phone]. —Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2025

Wolf told the Times the vulnerable circumstances faced by most crime victims are rarely known to the public, and that her client believed the public should have a fuller understanding of how she was victimized by her encounters with the men. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 14 Nov. 2025

Nearly every task, there’s someone who absolutely loses their mind, and then there’s someone who’ll find a funny angle and someone who’s victimizing Alex. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Nov. 2025

This can also be intergenerational memory and those who were victimized by genocidal progroms, something Lasky feels in her body while walking around Berlin. —Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

victimize

verb

vic·​tim·​ize ˈvik-tə-ˌmīz 

victimized; victimizing

: to make a victim of especially by cheating