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

And there are few, if any, ethically and empirically sound ways to test whether a campus fortified with ShotSpotter or the newest AI surveillance cameras is less likely to experience an active shooter incident because the probability of that school being victimized is already so low. —Emily Greene-Colozzi, The Conversation, 18 Dec. 2025

Americans are increasingly victimized by scammers. —Kevin Collier, NBC news, 17 Dec. 2025

My office is committed to bringing stability back into the lives of those who have been victimized. —Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025

Since athletes have been able to earn NIL, some have been victimized by agents who have charged shockingly high commissions or have tried to take ownership of the athlete’s intellectual property rights. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 8 Dec. 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