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
Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
Khamenei, an ailing octogenarian, frequently spoke of his willingness to be martyred, and regime officials have claimed that Israel already tried to target them last summer, when Israel and Iran traded strikes in what would become known as the Twelve-Day War.
—Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Brittney Melton, NPR, 12 May 2026
Nathan learned about the fate of a great-aunt, who was confined at Theresienstadt, and her grandson, who by a circuitous, ultimately tragic path is remembered by Catholics as a martyr.
—Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for martyr
Verb
Iran, with its sophisticated military, near-nuclear capability, proxy networks spanning the region and a regime now martyred by foreign attack, will likely not be the exception.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
Khamenei, an ailing octogenarian, frequently spoke of his willingness to be martyred, and regime officials have claimed that Israel already tried to target them last summer, when Israel and Iran traded strikes in what would become known as the Twelve-Day War.
—Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Noun
Machado says she's also been accused of being a terrorist and a martyr.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 12 May 2026
Nathan learned about the fate of a great-aunt, who was confined at Theresienstadt, and her grandson, who by a circuitous, ultimately tragic path is remembered by Catholics as a martyr.
—Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for martyr
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyr
Verb
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Vance, asked by a reporter about the criticism from the Israeli government, singled out Israeli Cabinet officials who have attacked the deal, saying Netanyahu has not shared the same opposition in the vice president's conversations with him.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
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After the good Samaritan got him off the woman, witnesses say the man wandered to produce and began attacking a 16-year-old boy, but Garbe had followed him.—
Joy Benedict,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
Noun
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Organizers said the event also served as a chance to honor the ancestors and generations whose sacrifices made today's freedoms possible.—
Kennedy Cook,
CBS News,
20 June 2026
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Juneteenth reminds us that freedom in America has often arrived late, unevenly and only after pressure, sacrifice and enforcement.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2026
Verb
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Wayne County prosecutors allege that on June 17, Montgomery tortured and burned a raccoon at a home in the 12000 block of Washburn Street in Detroit and posted a video on social media of the animal being burned alive.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
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In fact, the disease has been torturing humans for at least 5,500 years, according to a study published today in the journal Nature .—
Margherita Bassi,
Popular Science,
17 June 2026
Noun
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Many walk away losers while riding the gambling lightning.—
David Hookstead OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
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The loser of the WVU-Troy game will be eliminated from the College World Series.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Verb
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In recent years, Trae Young has repeatedly tormented the Knicks at the famed Madison Square Garden, turning clutch shots and postgame showmanship into vulgar chants from New York fans.—
Chantz Martin OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
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The result is borderline Succession-esque in its level of absurdity, and D’Arcy, so reliably tormented, gets to show sides of the character that have never even been hinted at before.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Robert Penn Warren’s 1946 novel is the story of the rise and fall of a Southern populist, the Louisiana governor Willie Stark—a fictional Huey Long (even if Warren downplayed the likeness)—as told by Stark’s wisecracking, anguished, Hamlet-y henchman, Jack Burden.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
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Hong Kong is an anguishing example.—
Michelle Kuo,
The Dial,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Supporting people who have too often been, and continue to be, persecuted and othered would be a direct way to address the suffering.—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
14 June 2026
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It's partially inspired by director Benjamin Christensen's research on the German text Malleus Maleficarum, a guide to witchcraft for inquisitors looking to persecute its perpetrators.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
Verb
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The high school exam board, CBSE, has faced public outrage over an electronic marking system plagued with technical glitches, during which students said answers were wrongly marked or, in some cases, answer sheets were omitted entirely.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
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The department said that all reopenings of the Reflecting Pool have been plagued by algae blooms and that vacuuming up the algae would take a couple of days.—
Lalee Ibssa,
ABC News,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Martyr.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyr. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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