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

• ˈsacriˌficer, noun
• ˈsacriˌficeable, adjective

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

That’s sort of a betrayal in some ways, and it’s a sacrifice in other ways.

From Vox

The sacrifice of her freedom—she spent 15 years under house arrest between 1989 and 2010—and the force of her personality made the 2011 power-sharing deal possible.

From Time

Leiva, a 33-year member of UFCW Local 770, said the celebration of essential workers should come with recognition of their sacrifice, which is unevenly felt across racial groups.

From Washington Post

This team environment here — or just basketball in general — it takes sacrifice and compromise.

From Washington Post

At the end of the game, which featured more sacrifices, Lubosh’s pawns just kept advancing until his opponent resigned.

From Washington Post

The courage of this husband and father is a constant reminder of how much some sacrifice for exercising universal rights.

From The Daily Beast

In fact, one the most sacred holiday for Muslims is the sacrifice of Abraham, known as Eid al-Adha.

From The Daily Beast

They accepted the fact that their party would have to make deals and sacrifice priorities in 2015.

From The Daily Beast

It was in Saint-Rémy where Van Gogh sends his brother word of how all his sacrifice may soon be for nothing in this life.

From The Daily Beast

They sacrifice their shelter to contain the walkers—and Judith gets her first action scene!

From The Daily Beast

Your sacrifice shall be the agony of agonies, the death of deaths, and yet you'll find yourself unable to resist.

From Project Gutenberg

I must aspire to the agitating transports of self-devotion, in scenes of sacrifice and peril!

From Project Gutenberg

I'd sacrifice myself willingly, if that would put things straight.

From Project Gutenberg

"And she would sacrifice Him and all his archangels to an epigram," thought Isabel, who was somewhat shocked.

From Project Gutenberg

She knew that the man's honor, his respect for his race and their struggle had brought him to commit the sacrifice.

From Project Gutenberg

More About Sacrifice

What does sacrifice mean?

A sacrifice is something important or precious that is given up for the sake of gaining something or allowing something to happen that is considered more important, as in I had to work hard and make a lot of sacrifices to achieve success.

The word can also refer to the habitual act of giving things up in this way, as in Achieving success requires hard work and sacrifice.

Sacrifice can also be used as a verb meaning to give something up in this way, as in I had to work hard and sacrifice to achieve success.

Sometimes, the word is used in situations involving surrendering something to prevent something bad from happening, as in She sacrificed herself to save us.

In all of these cases, the thing being sacrificed can be tangible, like a valued object, or intangible, like time or health, as in, I would never sacrifice my health just to make more money.

The word sacrifice is often used in the context of religion to refer to an offering or to the act of offering something to the god or gods being worshipped. Such a sacrifice might be an animal that is killed. The central figure of Christianity, Jesus, is viewed by Christians as having been a sacrifice for the sake of human salvation.

The adjective sacrificial is used to describe things that involve or are given as sacrifices.

Example: There is simply not enough money in the budget, so we’re all going to have to make sacrifices and give up some things that we’re used to having.

Where does sacrifice come from?

The first records of the word sacrifice come from the 1200s. It comes from the Latin sacrificium, from sacer, meaning “holy,” and facere, meaning “to make.” The root sacer is also the basis for words like sacred and sacrilege.

Sacrifice is always used in the context of giving something up for a higher purpose, whether that purpose is religious or not. The thing being sacrificed, even if precious, is considered less important than what giving it up can allow to happen. Synonyms of the verb sacrifice include surrender and forfeit. The verb phrase give up can mean the same thing but is more casual.

In chess, a player is said to sacrifice a piece when they allow it to be captured in order to gain an advantage. In baseball, the word sacrifice refers to a play that helps a baserunner to advance but that will (likely) result in an out for the batter, such as a sacrifice fly.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to sacrifice?

• sacrificial (adjective)

What are some synonyms for sacrifice?

• give up
• surrender
• forfeit
• offering

What are some words that share a root or word element with sacrifice?

• sacrifice fly
• sacred
• sacrilege

What are some words that often get used in discussing sacrifice?

• make
• gain
• ritual
• self
• altar
• human
• in vain

How is sacrifice used in real life?

The word sacrifice can be used in many different contexts. In all cases, it involves offering or surrendering something for the purpose of a cause considered more important than the thing being given up.

Transformation requires a sacrifice, the new you will cost the old you.

— Azahel™ (@AzG888) February 9, 2021

Can we please stop framing societal failures as individualistic feel-good stories? Having to sacrifice your life savings to pay for leukemia treatment is bad, actually.

— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) February 10, 2021

My parents taught me that I have to make sacrifices if I wanted to be successful. Don’t be afraid to sacrifice, it’s only temporary. Success lasts forever.

— kdot (@kendriclindsey) July 19, 2020

Try using sacrifice!

Which of the following words is a synonym of sacrifice?

A. surrender
B. forfeit
C. give up
D. all of the above