verb, slang ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   To execute (a person) by nailing to a cross. transitive
2. 2
   criticize harshly or violently wordnet
3. 3
   To punish or otherwise express extreme anger at, especially as a scapegoat or target of outrage. excessive, transitive

   "After his public gaffe, he was crucified in the media."

4. 4
   hold within limits and control wordnet
5. 5
   To thoroughly beat at a sport or game. excessive, informal, transitive

   "West Ham beat Manchester City five nil–they crucified them!"

Show 2 more definitions

6. 6
   treat cruelly wordnet
7. 7
   kill by nailing onto a cross wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

savagetormentabuseafflictaggrieveagonize

Example

More examples

"As he was being crucified, Spartacus said, "Woe to you slaves, for you crucify a free man.""

Etymology

From Middle English crucifien, from Old French crucefier, from Late Latin crucificō, from Latin crucifigō.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.