Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense sacrifices, present participle sacrificing, past tense, past participle sacrificed
1. verb
If you sacrifice something that is valuable or important, you give it up, usually to obtain something else for yourself or for other people.
They sacrificed family life to their careers. [V n + to/for]
Her pride was a small thing to sacrifice for their children's security. [Vto/for n]
Kitty Aldridge has sacrificed all for her first film. [VERB noun]
He sacrificed himself and so saved his country. [VERB pronoun-reflexive]
Synonyms: give up, abandon, relinquish, lose More Synonyms of sacrifice
Sacrifice is also a noun.
She made many sacrifices to get Anita a good education.
He was willing to make any sacrifice for peace.
2. See also self-sacrifice
3. verb
To sacrifice an animal or person means to kill them in a special religious ceremony as an offering to a god.
The priest sacrificed a chicken. [VERB noun]
Two white bulls were sacrificed and a feast was held. [VERB noun]
[Also V n to n]
Synonyms: offer, slaughter, offer up, immolate [literary] More Synonyms of sacrifice
Sacrifice is also a noun.
...animal sacrifices to the gods. [+ to]
More Synonyms of sacrifice
sacrifice in British English
(ˈsækrɪˌfaɪs)
noun
1.
a surrender of something of value as a means of gaining something more desirable or of preventing some evil
2.
a ritual killing of a person or animal with the intention of propitiating or pleasing a deity
3.
a symbolic offering of something to a deity
4.
the person, animal, or object surrendered, destroyed, killed, or offered
5.
a religious ceremony involving one or more sacrifices
6.
loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value
7. chess
the act or an instance of sacrificing a piece
verb
8.
to make a sacrifice (of); give up, surrender, or destroy (a person, thing, etc)
9. chess
to permit or force one's opponent to capture (a piece) freely, as in playing a combination or gambit
he sacrificed his queen and checkmated his opponent on the next move
Derived forms
sacrificeable (ˈsacriˌficeable)
adjective
sacrificer (ˈsacriˌficer)
noun
Word origin
C13: via Old French from Latin sacrificium, from sacer holy + facere to make
sacrifice in American English
(ˈsækrəˌfaɪs)
noun
1.
a.
the act of offering the life of a person or animal, or some object, in propitiation of or homage to a deity
b.
something so offered
2.
a.
the act of giving up, destroying, permitting injury to, or forgoing something valued for the sake of something having a more pressing claim
b.
a thing so given up, etc.
3.
a.
a selling or giving up of something at less than its supposed value
b.
the loss incurred
4. US, Baseball
a sacrifice bunt or sacrifice fly
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈsacriˌficed or ˈsacriˌficing
5.
to offer as a sacrifice to God or a god
6.
to give up, destroy, permit injury to, or forgo (something valued) for the sake of something having a more pressing claim
7.
to sell at less than the supposed value
8. US, Baseball
to advance (a base runner) by means of a sacrifice
verb intransitive
9.
to offer or make a sacrifice
10. US, Baseball
to execute a sacrifice
Derived forms
sacrificer (ˈsacriˌficer)
noun
Word origin
OFr < L sacrificium < sacer, sacred + facere, to make, do1
Examples of 'sacrifice' in a sentence
sacrifice
Yet there was more to the logic of spiced sacrifice than the offering of like to like.
Jack Turner SPICE: The History of a Temptation (2004)
You used to have to sacrifice family and emotional life for the glitter and gold.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It is your life of sacrifice that gives me so much strength.
Bertodano, Theresa (ed.) Daily Readings with Mother Theresa (1993)
She was not prepared to sacrifice her own career.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They also make the same sacrifices as regulars.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Their battle for success also meant sacrifices in their personal lives.
The Sun (2009)
This is not what ancient images of animal sacrifice look like.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
White resolves to sacrifice a piece but retains his advantage.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
She has also sacrificed her family life for her career.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He sacrificed his political career for this cause.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
There are sacrifices you must make for the team.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
She also makes huge sacrifices for her son.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
That sacrifice is the means by which we're forgiven and renewed.
Christianity Today (2000)
News that the beautiful daughter of the chief was to be sacrificed to give the people rain spread across the country like wind.
Clerk, Jayana & Siegel, Ruth Modern Literatures of the Non-Western World: Where the Waters Are Born (1995)
If that means sacrificing sales to maintain margins, then so be it.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Say the opponents have sacrificed in 5. over your 4..
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In so doing, my hope is that the play will engage with ideas of remembering and remembrance as well as ideas of conflict, sacrifice and loss.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Quotations
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so fewWinston Churchillspeech to the House of Commons
Too long a sacrifice Can make a stone of the heartW.B. YeatsEaster 1916
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friendsBible: St. John
You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs
In other languages
sacrifice
British English: sacrifice /ˈsækrɪˌfaɪs/ NOUN
To offer an animal as a sacrifice, means to kill it in a special religious ceremony.
...animal sacrifices to the gods.
American English: sacrifice
Arabic: يُضَّحي
Brazilian Portuguese: sacrifício
Chinese: 牺牲
Croatian: žrtva
Czech: oběť
Danish: offer opofrelse
Dutch: offer
European Spanish: sacrificio
Finnish: uhraus
French: sacrifice
German: Opfergabe
Greek: θυσία
Italian: sacrificio
Japanese: 犠牲
Korean: 희생
Norwegian: offer
Polish: ofiara poświęcenie
European Portuguese: sacrifício
Romanian: jertfă
Russian: жертвоприношение
Latin American Spanish: sacrificio
Swedish: offer
Thai: การสังเวย
Turkish: feda etmek
Ukrainian: приносити в жертву
Vietnamese: sự tế lễ
All related terms of 'sacrifice'
sacrifice fly
a fly ball that is caught for an out and that enables a runner to score from third base after the catch
burnt sacrifice
a sacrificial offering burnt, usually on an altar , to honour, propitiate , or supplicate a deity
sacrifice bunt
a bunt made by the batter so that a base runner is advanced while the batter is put out
self-sacrifice
Self-sacrifice is the giving up of what you want so that other people can have what they need or want.
sacrifice paddock
a grassed area allowed to be grazed completely, to be cultivated and resown later
supreme sacrifice
the sacrifice of one's life
sacrifice operative
a euphemistic term for a suicide bomber
the supreme sacrifice
the sacrifice of one's life
Chinese translation of 'sacrifice'
sacrifice
(ˈsækrɪfaɪs)
n
(c) (Rel)[of animal, person]献(獻)祭 (xiànjì)
(c/u) (fig) 牺(犧)牲 (xīshēng)
vt
(Rel)[animal]用 ... 祭祀 (yòng ... jìsì)
(= forfeit)[health, career, human lives]牺(犧)牲 (xīshēng)
to make sacrifices (for sb/sth)(为(為)某人/某事)做出牺(犧)牲 ((wèi mǒurén/mǒushì) zuòchū xīshēng)
to sacrifice sth for sb/sth为(為)某人/某事牺(犧)牲某物 (wèi mǒurén/mǒushì xīshēng mǒuwù)
1 (verb)
Definition
to make a sacrifice (of)
The priest sacrificed a chicken.
Synonyms
offer
He will offer the first harvest of rice to the sun goddess.
slaughter
offer up
immolate (literary)
2 (verb)
Definition
to make a sacrifice (of)
She sacrificed a lot to get where she is today.
Synonyms
give up
abandon
They were persuaded to abandon their lawsuit.
relinquish
He does not intend to relinquish power.
lose
surrender
She had to surrender all rights to her property.
let go
do without
renounce
He renounced his claim to the throne.
forfeit
He was ordered to forfeit more than £1.5m in profits.
forego
say goodbye to
1 (noun)
Definition
a ritual killing of a person or animal as an offering to a god
animal sacrifices to the gods
Synonyms
offering
a Shinto ritual in which offerings are made to the great Sun
immolation (literary)
The speech turned into an act of political self-immolation.
oblation
hecatomb
2 (noun)
Definition
a surrender of something of value in order to gain something more desirable or prevent some evil
They have not suffered any sacrifice of identity.
Synonyms
surrender
a complete surrender of weapons
loss
giving up
resignation
He has withdrawn his letter of resignation.
rejection
his rejection of our values
waiver
He had to sign a waiver of his constitutional rights.
abdication
There had been a complete abdication of responsibility.
renunciation
the renunciation of territory
repudiation
forswearing
relinquishment
eschewal
self-denial
Quotations
Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few [Winston Churchill – speech to the House of Commons]Too long a sacrifice Can make a stone of the heart [W.B. Yeats – Easter 1916]Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends [Bible: St. John]
proverb
You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abandon
They were persuaded to abandon their lawsuit.
Synonyms
give up,
resign from,
yield,
surrender,
relinquish,
renounce,
waive,
cede,
forgo,
abdicate
in the sense of abdication
There had been a complete abdication of responsibility.
Synonyms
renunciation,
giving up,
surrender,
abandonment,
waiver,
abnegation,
relinquishment
in the sense of forfeit
Definition
to lose as a forfeit
He was ordered to forfeit more than £1.5m in profits.
Synonyms
relinquish,
lose,
give up,
surrender,
renounce,
be deprived of,
say goodbye to,
be stripped of
Synonyms of 'sacrifice'
sacrifice
Explore 'sacrifice' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of immolate
Definition
to kill or offer as a sacrifice, esp. by fire
Synonyms
sacrifice,
kill
in the sense of immolation
The speech turned into an act of political self-immolation.
Synonyms
sacrifice,
slaughter,
offering up
in the sense of rejection
his rejection of our values
Synonyms
denial,
veto,
dismissal,
exclusion,
abandonment,
spurning,
casting off,
disowning,
thumbs down,
renunciation,
repudiation,
eschewal
in the sense of relinquish
Definition
to renounce (a claim or right)
He does not intend to relinquish power.
Synonyms
give up,
leave,
release,
drop,
abandon,
resign,
desert,
quit,
yield,
hand over,
surrender,
withdraw from,
let go,
retire from,
renounce,
waive,
vacate,
say goodbye to,
forsake,
cede,
repudiate,
cast off,
forgo,
abdicate,
kiss (something) goodbye,
lay aside
in the sense of renounce
Definition
to give up formally (a claim or right)
He renounced his claim to the throne.
Synonyms
disclaim,
deny,
decline,
give up,
resign,
relinquish,
waive,
renege,
forgo,
abdicate,
abjure,
abnegate
in the sense of renunciation
Definition
a formal declaration renouncing something
the renunciation of territory
Synonyms
giving up,
resignation,
surrender,
waiver,
disclaimer,
abdication,
relinquishment,
abjuration
in the sense of resignation
Definition
the act of resigning
He has withdrawn his letter of resignation.
Synonyms
leaving,
notice,
retirement,
departure,
surrender,
abandonment,
abdication,
renunciation,
relinquishment
in the sense of waiver
Definition
the act or an instance of voluntary giving up a claim or right
He had to sign a waiver of his constitutional rights.