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
Alice Burton, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2024
The skeletal remains of two saints martyred in Rome more than 1,800 years ago are on display at the front of the church, encased in illuminated glass tombs.
—Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 24 Dec. 2024
Rich Lowry, National Review, 1 May 2025
Across the street was the new martyrs’ cemetery, built for Palestinians killed by Israeli forces.
—Ben Ehrenreich, Harpers Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for martyr
Verb
He apparently was martyred in Azerbaijan, which is an interesting tidbit.
—Alice Burton, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2024
The skeletal remains of two saints martyred in Rome more than 1,800 years ago are on display at the front of the church, encased in illuminated glass tombs.
—Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
Her subsequent arrest on obstruction charges makes the jurist a martyr for progressive sanctuary policies that the Trump administration seeks to punish and defeat.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 1 May 2025
Across the street was the new martyrs’ cemetery, built for Palestinians killed by Israeli forces.
—Ben Ehrenreich, Harpers Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for martyr
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyr
Verb
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Trump acknowledged Democrats would attack Republicans for a tax hike, and that raising taxes was blamed for former President George H.W. Bush’s reelection loss in 1992.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
10 May 2025
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May 8 India fires attack drones into Pakistan, killing at least two civilians, the Pakistani military says.—
Riazat Butt,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2025
Noun
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In The Death of Klinghoffer, the title character mildly accepts the mantle of sacrifice against a backdrop of endless violence.—
Justin Davidson,
Vulture,
13 May 2025
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The memories of our hero’s sacrifice are forgotten no more.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
13 May 2025
Verb
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The duo were accused of torturing and killing Micah in March 2018 in the garage of Queen's friend Matthew Vandecasteele over a missing gun dispute, then dismembering Micah and disposing of his body parts.—
Emily Krauser,
People.com,
12 May 2025
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Airlines would just shrink the size of their seats even more, leaving all of us scrambling desperately to feel a little less tortured on our next flights.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
10 May 2025
Noun
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The winner takes all and the losers are driven to lose their humanity.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
10 May 2025
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When policymakers’ ambition to pass big tax cuts collides with the need to limit the cost, the inevitable loser is simplicity.—
Howard Gleckman,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Verb
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After being tormented all year long by the highlight of Dončić hitting the step-back 3 on him in Game 1 of the conference finals, Gobert dunked on Dončić in the closeout game.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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David Boyd, 64, was hit with numerous charges for allegedly tormenting two sisters for several years in the north Milwaukee suburb of Brown Deer, local NBC affiliate WTMJ reported.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Others will be anguishing over Irving (John Turturro) and Burt (Christopher Walken), whose respective and collective fates weren’t addressed at all.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
21 Mar. 2025
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And yet, the film has a pretty expert ensemble — Kevin Spacey won the Oscar, but Annette Bening was even more deserving — and Conrad Hall’s photography captures all the shiny surfaces that contrast with the characters’ anguished inner worlds.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Some of the journalists who were terminated on Thursday were from countries with repressive governments that persecute journalists for independent reporting, Mr. Abramowitz said in the email to employees on Thursday.—
Minho Kim,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
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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
Verb
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Flanagan boys track coach Jessica Carter said the inclement weather which plagued the meet the entire weekend and forced the postponement of the 3A meet until Saturday posed problems for her boys team.—
Gary Curreri,
Sun Sentinel,
12 May 2025
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Another equipment outage struck air traffic controllers for Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday morning, briefly disrupting some inbound flights and further highlighting the ongoing technology issues plaguing the airport.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
12 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Martyr.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyr. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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