as in attacks
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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyrs
Verb
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According to the Hindu, local eyewitnesses have said that the elephant attacks mostly at night while people are sleeping, and residents have been using firecrackers and patrol teams to keep the animal away from heavily populated areas.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026 -
Russia attacks Ukraine with new Oreshnik ballistic missile Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with a new hypersonic ballistic missile, an advanced weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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And the government’s insistence that Iranians must make sacrifices for distant causes breeds resentment rather than unity.—
Kamran Talattof,
The Conversation,
6 Jan. 2026
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These firefighters gave their lives years after answering the call, yet their sacrifices were no less profound.—
Victor Stagnaro,
New York Daily News,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Later, in one of the movie's most satisfying scenes, Millie locks Andrew in the attic and tortures him by loudly smashing each plate.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Dec. 2025
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The mistake tortures them, which prompts the couple to try and solve the mystery by producing a fake play in an attempt to get their ex-neighbor Mary (Chloe Cherry) to audition.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Killers, however, are practical and can’t stand losers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
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And as Nathan says, the losers will be ‘meme-ified’, an impatience helping nobody.—
Michael Walker,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That fear that torments families.—
Morgan Phillips,
FOXNews.com,
15 Dec. 2025
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Decades before Pennywise torments the Loser's Club, members of the Maine Legion of White Decency, a white supremacist group, set fire to the Black Spot, a military speakeasy catering to Black patrons, with all of its revelers trapped inside.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In Russia, the civilian repressive apparatus persecutes the military, which leaps at every chance for revenge.—
Stephen Kotkin,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Verb
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So while so much of this matchup is strength versus strength, what might matter most is which team’s weakness plagues them the least.—
Daniel Popper,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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Cinnamon has been widely touted as a cure-all for anything that plagues the garden.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Therapy dogs with the nonprofit also help children learn to read and assist in clinical therapy settings.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Some dogs his size might have ended up getting into some pretty major trouble trying to climb up onto the swing seat, but not Hank.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Martyrs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyrs. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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