sacrifice

[ sak-ruh-fahys ]

noun

1. the offering of animal, plant, or human life or of some material possession to a deity, as in propitiation or homage.
2. the person, animal, or thing so offered.
3. the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.
4. the thing so surrendered or devoted.
5. a loss incurred in selling something below its value.
6. Also sacrifice hit. Baseball. a batted ball, specifically a sacrifice bunt or sacrifice fly, that results in the batter being put out at first base while one or more base runners safely advance. : S

verb (used with object)

, sac·ri·ficed, sac·ri·fic·ing.

1. to make a sacrifice or offering of.
2. to surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else.

   Synonyms: renounce, forgo, relinquish

3. to dispose of (goods, property, etc.) regardless of profit.

verb (used without object)

, sac·ri·ficed, sac·ri·fic·ing.

1. Baseball. to make a sacrifice hit:

   He sacrificed in the top of the fourth with a fly ball that brought in the go-ahead run from third base.

2. to offer or make a sacrifice.

sacrifice

/ 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

1. to make a sacrifice (of); give up, surrender, or destroy (a person, thing, etc)
2. 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

• ˈsacriˌficeable, adjective
• ˈsacriˌficer, noun

Other Words From

• sac·ri·fice·a·ble adjective
• sac·ri·fic·er noun
• non·sac·ri·fice noun
• non·sac·ri·fic·ing adjective
• pre·sac·ri·fice noun verb presacrificed presacrificing
• su·per·sac·ri·fice noun verb (used with object) supersacrificed supersacrificing
• un·sac·ri·fice·a·ble adjective
• un·sac·ri·ficed adjective
• un·sac·ri·fic·ing adjective
• well-sac·ri·ficed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sacrifice¹

First recorded in 1225–75; Middle English sacrifice, sacrifis(e), from Old French sacrefise, sacrefice, from Latin sacrificium “offering made to a deity, sacrifice,” equivalent to sacri- (combining form of sacer “holy, sacred”) + -fic-, combining form of facere “to make, build, construct” + -ium noun suffix; do ¹; -ium ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of sacrifice¹

C13: via Old French from Latin sacrificium, from sacer holy + facere to make

Example Sentences

“Elon was texting me this morning. Think about having the brain of Elon Musk to sacrifice his time away from his businesses to help every single American make government more efficient, more accountable,” McCarthy said.

From Los Angeles Times

Put another way, Taylor explained to me, today’s acceptance of climate change on the far right — and, inevitably, he said, among conservatives writ large — is ushering in a more clear-eyed view of what lies ahead for America, one that accepts the possibility, even the necessity, of sacrifice.

From Salon

"People think they're doing you a favour, almost like a sacrifice. The worst thing is I'm not surprised or offended anymore."

From BBC

It doesn’t just impact your political decisions, such as Caitlyn deeming a potential child casualty as an acceptable sacrifice for her agenda.

From Salon

Of course, all of this is a crass exercise on the part of America’s financial class, a heaping sacrifice of vulnerable Americans and democratic bulwarks for the sake of “number go up.”

From Slate