as in to attack
to kill (someone) for refusing to give up a belief or cause
—usually used as (be) martyred
He was martyred for his religious beliefs.
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Recent Examples of martyr
Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In an Acquire the Fire event — large concerts put on by Teen Mania — after the shooting, Luce, 64, referred to Scott as a martyr.
—Grace Jordan-Weinstein, People.com, 27 July 2025
Vanessa Gera, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025
Gregorios Bishara, priest of the Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation, was martyred this morning at the hands of the pro-HTS armed factions that raided the city of Baniyas.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for martyr
Verb
Elevated to martyr status within the Peronist ranks, Fernández de Kirchner regained centrality at a key moment as Kicillof was gaining the upper hand in their stand-off for control of Peronist candidate lists.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 27 Aug. 2025
In an Acquire the Fire event — large concerts put on by Teen Mania — after the shooting, Luce, 64, referred to Scott as a martyr.
—Grace Jordan-Weinstein, People.com, 27 July 2025
Noun
According to tradition, Peter traveled to Rome to spread the Christian message and was martyred there during the reign of the Emperor Nero, around 64 A.D., as Christians were being persecuted.
—Vanessa Gera, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025
Gregorios Bishara, priest of the Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation, was martyred this morning at the hands of the pro-HTS armed factions that raided the city of Baniyas.
—William Lambers, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for martyr
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyr
Verb
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Charlie was the best of America, and the monster who attacked him was attacking our whole country.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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Estonian police said the drone was likely en route to attack targets inside Russia.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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For Verlander, his latest quality start was possible due in part to a sacrifice from Dominic Smith, who sacrificed his body for an out.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
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At which point Tyler re-enters the room and is given up by the terrified crowd (and, more importantly, anointed by Joan) as one of three people — including Bracken and one of the show’s dancers — who must make the film’s titular sacrifice to save the world from an imminent catastrophe.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Consequently, the unit’s members film themselves torturing and executing Palestinians.—
Sean Durns,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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The number paid respects to Matthew Shepard, a gay man who was tortured and killed because of his sexuality in 1998.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The houseguests then voted between the two comp losers, and when Julie announced the results, Will was evicted by a vote of 3-2 and became the season’s second jury member.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
11 Sep. 2025
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Instead of scrolling Twitter, read something about a cranky, divorced loser, like The Invisibility Cloak by Ge Fei, and translated by Canaan Morse.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Another week, another young quarterback with minimal experience for Flores to torment.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Josh Allen is familiar with Aaron Glenn, having tormented his defense last year.—
Gladys Louise Tyler,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Seeing how anguished her parents were, Angelica decided to do something about it.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
27 Aug. 2025
-
The wide receiver looked frustrated and anguished as a group of trainers worked to stretch him out.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
24 July 2025
Verb
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The former human-rights lawyer entered on a tourist visa and filed for political asylum in October of that year, claiming the governments that succeeded Correa were persecuting him.—
Syra Ortiz Blanes,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
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The decree eliminated many of the civil liberties in Germany, opening the way for the Nazis to persecute their opponents.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 1988, a catastrophic heat wave and drought plagued the United States, killing thousands of people and triggering over $80 billion in damage.—
Zack Savitsky,
Quanta Magazine,
15 Sep. 2025
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Getty Images The Department of Education posted a new update on Monday on massive application backlogs plaguing several federal student loan forgiveness and repayment programs.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Martyr.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyr. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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