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

This is about the message sent, with nobody on defense seeming to care as much as those on the offense victimized by the failures. —Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025

Eight other men reported being victimized by the defendant but their allegations were not charged, according to the filing. —Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 27 Oct. 2025

And Boise State’s defense victimized the conference’s worst offense, intercepting freshman quarterback Carter Jones three times — Jeremiah Earby had two of them — recovering two fumbles and holding the Pack to 247 total yards. —Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 25 Oct. 2025

An Ohio man is facing charges after officials say a social media prank victimized a child. —Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 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