1
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
people who were persecuted simply for practicing their religious faith
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of persecute
In 1968 a Jewish Dutch woman named Selma Vos was persecuted to death along with her husband, Cao Richang, an eminent psychologist who had helped found the Institute of Psychology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
—
Nan Z. Da
june 10, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
Abrego Garcia was subject to a 2019 withholding order by a judge forbidding his removal to El Salvador because of concerns he would be persecuted there.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 6 June 2025
President Donald Trump's administration has returned a Guatemalan man who was deported to Mexico despite fears he would be persecuted.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Its mandate was to bring together historians and lawyers to identify and expel from the United States anyone who assisted the Third Reich in persecuting civilians.
—Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecute
Nan Z. Da
june 10, Literary Hub, 10 June 2025
Abrego Garcia was subject to a 2019 withholding order by a judge forbidding his removal to El Salvador because of concerns he would be persecuted there.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 6 June 2025
President Donald Trump's administration has returned a Guatemalan man who was deported to Mexico despite fears he would be persecuted.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Its mandate was to bring together historians and lawyers to identify and expel from the United States anyone who assisted the Third Reich in persecuting civilians.
—Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecute
Verb
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The last few projects have been plagued by delays and massive cost overruns.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2025
-
Pachuca’s failure plagued Salzburg as well, with the Austrian side needing a boost after things turned for the worse against Real Madrid, only to be denied – despite their social media admin’s best pleas.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
27 June 2025
Verb
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If your idea of patience looks like being endlessly agreeable, never getting annoyed, and staying calm through any inconvenience….—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
17 June 2025
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We get used to it quickly, and will be annoyed when it is replaced.—
Roger Dooley,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Verb
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To put it into perspective, the National Organization for Rare Disorders estimates that one person on every elevator and four people on every bus are afflicted.—
Alexis Kayser,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 June 2025
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The perils afflicting these marooned vacationers turned the Triumph into a social media fascination — #CruiseShipFromHell was a trending topic at the time — and inspired parodies on Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show.—
Randall Colburn,
EW.com,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Also on this episode: With Emmy nomination voting ending on Monday, the Roundtable takes one more look at the major categories, how the number of submissions has changed some of the competition and who didn’t bother to join in.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
20 June 2025
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Orban said in February that organisers should not even bother organizing Pride in Budapest this year.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
19 June 2025
Verb
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Nicolás Maduro and his enforcers are running a criminal narco-terrorist dictatorship that jails political opponents, tortures dissidents, and crushes any hope of free expression.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
27 June 2025
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An immigration judge determined that he would likely be persecuted or tortured if deported to Guatemala again, and granted him an order protecting him from removal.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
25 June 2025
Verb
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Spicy foods: Spicy foods may irritate the stomach and intestines, which could worsen or extend food poisoning symptoms.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
21 June 2025
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This will irritate them and also decrease their likelihood of returning.—
Bartosz Skwarczek,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Verb
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By 1972, Argentina was besieged by unprecedented political violence.—
Daniel Alarcón,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
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Gas stations are besieged, and shops are emptying of essentials.—
Scott Peterson,
Christian Science Monitor,
16 June 2025
Verb
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Say your mother kept bugging you to change a bad habit.—
Bruce Y. Lee,
Forbes.com,
11 May 2025
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Next season is when all the little things start to bug me.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persecute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecute. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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