1
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
people who were persecuted simply for practicing their religious faith
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2
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
she likes to persecute her sister with pointless, annoying questions at very inopportune times
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of persecute
No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion.
—
Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 13 Dec. 2025
Karki's attorneys have been fighting to stop his deportation to Bhutan — a small nation between India and China where Karki's family and others with Nepali ancestry were persecuted and driven out in the 1990s.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 11 Dec. 2025
And thousands have been claiming German and Austrian citizenship thanks to a rule granting the designation to the descendants of Jews who were persecuted by the Nazis.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2025
He was persecuted by the Taliban and he will be very seriously harmed, tortured and killed by the Taliban if he's forced to return to Afghanistan.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecute
Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 13 Dec. 2025
Karki's attorneys have been fighting to stop his deportation to Bhutan — a small nation between India and China where Karki's family and others with Nepali ancestry were persecuted and driven out in the 1990s.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 11 Dec. 2025
And thousands have been claiming German and Austrian citizenship thanks to a rule granting the designation to the descendants of Jews who were persecuted by the Nazis.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2025
He was persecuted by the Taliban and he will be very seriously harmed, tortured and killed by the Taliban if he's forced to return to Afghanistan.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecute
Verb
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Lingering odors, discoloration, stains, and bacterial growth are issues that plague older bath towels; snagging a new set will make your bathroom look and smell better.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Kubasik sees this as the first step toward shaking up an industry long plagued by oligopolistic hangovers and kicking off a new wave of dealmaking.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There is no sound, and Helen begins to get annoyed.—
Sadia Shepard,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Luis is frankly annoyed by this type of music.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Surrounding trees, however, were not afflicted.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Jan. 2026
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Support for Bass is more mixed, with her current record containing many more failures than have afflicted either Lurie or any other recent Los Angeles mayor.—
Thomas D. Elias,
Oc Register,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Take a seat on an icy throne—the cold never bothered you anyway.—
Ginger Crichton,
Midwest Living,
9 Jan. 2026
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Don’t bother wasting your money—using it more than once a day won’t yield ‘better’ or faster results.—
Ali Pantony,
Glamour,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Still, whatever validity there is to his pain, Peter becomes a high priest of hallucination and Coon’s tortured Agnes his disciple.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
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In Chechnya, a region in southern Russia with a predominantly Muslim population, authorities launched an open hunt for gay men—police rounded them up and tortured many of them, with some being killed.—
Mikhail Zygar,
Vanity Fair,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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These changes to the fabric’s texture can also irritate delicate skin.—
Elizabeth Brownfield,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
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To ensure the materials were safe for biological use, the friction layers was tested on a rabbit’s eye, where the device maintained its charge without irritating.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Windy City is suddenly besieged by a string of bomb threats, but in the midst of all the false alarms, a real situation emerges in the form of military-grade smoke grenades, which points to a terrorist threat.—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Jan. 2026
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Halladay said she’s heard from multiple doctors, including her child’s pediatrician, that they’ve been besieged with calls from parents hoping to get a prescription.—
Tom Bartlett,
The Atlantic,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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That thing’s been bugging on him for a while.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
29 Dec. 2025
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Check the head and base and foot of the bed, peeling back the top sheet to look for evidence on mattress covers, box springs, dust ruffles, and the headboard—and most importantly, the mattress seams and piping because bed bugs like to hide in cracks and crevices.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
25 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persecute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecute. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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