What does "sacrifice" mean?
Originally, the killing (and often burning) of a human being or an animal as an offering to a deity; later, also the offering of an object to a deity.
Sacrifice
/ˈsæk.ɹɪ.faɪs/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Originally, the killing (and often burning) of a human being or an animal as an offering to a deity; later, also the offering of an object to a deity.
- Grammar: sacrifice is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: forfeit, abandon, abandonment, abjuration.
- Useful contrasts: advantage, benefit, gain.
- Usage evidence: Making a choice always means making a sacrifice, giving up one thing for another.
How to use "sacrifice"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sacrifice" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sacrifice" in a final draft.
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Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 Originally, the killing (and often burning) of a human being or an animal as an offering to a deity; later, also the offering of an object to a deity. countable, uncountable
"They firſt vvaſh the dead body, paint him, clothe him, and ſo conueigh him to his Dormitorie, vvhich is ſpacious and neat, vvherein they bury his Armolets, Bracelets, Shackles and ſuch Treaſure, concluding their Ceremonies vvith Mimmicke geſtures and eiaculations: vvhich, vvith the Sacrifice of a Goat, vpon his Graue, puts a period to their Burials."
- 2 (baseball) an out that advances the base runners wordnet
- 3 A human being or an animal, or a physical object or immaterial thing (see etymology 1 sense 1.3), offered to a deity. countable, uncountable
"O th'inchaunting vvords of that baſe ſlaue, / Made him to thinke Epeus pine-tree Horſe [i.e., the Trojan Horse] / A ſacrifize t'appeaſe Mineruas vvrath: […]"
- 4 the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc. wordnet
- 5 The offering of devotion, penitence, prayer, thanksgiving, etc., to a deity. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"Let vs therfore by him [Jesus] offre allwayes vnto God the ſacrifice of prayſe: that is to ſaye, the frute of thoſe lippes which confeſſe his name."
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 the act of killing (an animal or person) in order to propitiate a deity wordnet
- 7 Jesus Christ's voluntary offering of himself to God the Father to be crucified as atonement for the sins of humankind. countable, specifically, uncountable
- 8 personnel that are sacrificed (e.g., surrendered or lost in order to gain an objective) wordnet
- 9 The rite of Holy Communion or the Mass, regarded as (Protestantism) an offering of thanksgiving to God for Christ's crucifixion, or (Roman Catholicism) a perpetual re-presentation of Christ's sacrificial offering. broadly, countable, specifically, uncountable
"The pretensions of the holy see, the authority of tradition, purgatory, transubstantiation, the sacrifice of the mass, […] were copiously discussed."
- 10 a loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value wordnet
- 11 The destruction or surrender of anything for the sake of something else regarded as more urgent or valuable; also, the thing destroyed or surrendered for this purpose. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"the sacrifice of one’s spare time in order to volunteer"
- 12 Ellipsis of sacrifice bunt or sacrifice hit (“a play in which the batter intentionally hits the ball softly with a hands-spread batting stance at the cost of an out to advance one or more runners”). abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, figuratively, uncountable
- 13 In full sacrifice bid: a bid of a contract which is unlikely to be fulfilled, that a player makes in the hope that they will incur fewer penalty points than the points likely to be gained by opponents in making their contract. countable, figuratively, uncountable
- 14 A monetary loss incurred by selling something at less than its value; also, the thing thus sold. countable, dated, figuratively, slang, uncountable
"The Old Year was already looked upon as dead; and its effects were selling cheap like some drowned mariner's aboardship. Its patterns were Last Year's and going at a sacrifice, before its breath was gone. Its treasures were mere dirt, beside the riches of its unborn successor!"
- 15 An act of intentionally allowing one's piece to be captured by the opponent in order to improve one's position in the game. countable, figuratively, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To offer (a human being or an animal, or an object) to a deity. transitive
"And there ſhall bee no leauened bread ſeene with thee in all thy coaſts ſeuen dayes, neither ſhall there any thing of the fleſh, which thou ſacrificedſt the firſt day at Euen, remaine all night, vntill the morning."
- 2 kill or destroy wordnet
- 3 To destroy or kill (a human being or an animal); specifically (sciences), to kill (an animal) for a scientific experiment or test. broadly, figuratively, transitive
"Condemn'd to ſacrifice his childiſh Years / To babling Ign'rance, and to empty Fears; […]"
- 4 make a sacrifice of; in religious rituals wordnet
- 5 To destroy or surrender (something) for the sake of something else regarded as more urgent or valuable. broadly, figuratively, transitive
"Venison has many advantages over meat from factory farms, although it still requires a hunter to sacrifice the life of a deer."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 endure the loss of wordnet
- 7 Of a batter: to advance (one or more runners on base) by batting the ball so it can be fielded, placing the batter out but with insufficient time to put the runner(s) out. broadly, figuratively, transitive
- 8 sell at a loss wordnet
- 9 To sell (something) at less than its value, thus incurring a monetary loss. broadly, dated, figuratively, slang, transitive
"A newspaper advertisement announces that "A professional gentleman is instructed to sacrifice Three young sound Horses at half their cost." We wonder what deity horses could be sacrificed to?"
- 10 To intentionally allow (a piece) to be captured by the opponent in order to improve one's position in the game. broadly, figuratively, transitive
- 11 To offer a human being or an animal, or an object, to a deity. intransitive
"All things come alike to all: there is one euent to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good and to the cleane, and to the vncleane; to him that ſacrificeth, and to him that ſacrificeth not: as is the good, ſo is the ſinner, and hee that ſweareth, as he that feareth an oath."
- 12 Of a batter: to bat the ball so that it can be fielded, placing the batter out but allowing one or more runners on base to advance. broadly, figuratively, intransitive
- 13 To make a bid of a contract which is unlikely to be fulfilled, in the hope that that the player will incur fewer penalty points than the points likely to be gained by opponents in making their contract. broadly, figuratively, intransitive
- 14 To celebrate Holy Communion or Mass. broadly, figuratively, intransitive
"For what power but God's can make good the promise of tendering the Body and Blood of Christ, as a visible mean^([sic]) to convey His Spirit? And he that goes about to make this change by consecrating the eucharist, must needs be understood to acknowledge this power of God's; but this is not that acknowledgment, which sacrificing importeth, but that, which every act of religion implieth. He that sacrificeth, acknowledging that which he sacrificeth, with all that he hath, to [come from or belong to]^([sic]) God, to testify this acknowledgment, abandoneth that which he sacrificeth to be destroyed in testimony of it."
Example
"Making a choice always means making a sacrifice, giving up one thing for another."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sacrifice"?
Common synonyms include: forfeit, abandon, abandonment, abjuration, abjure, abnegate.
How do you use "sacrifice" in a sentence?
Making a choice always means making a sacrifice, giving up one thing for another.
How do you pronounce "sacrifice"?
Pronounced /ˈsæk.ɹɪ.faɪs/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- Proto-Italic *sakros Old Latin sacros Latin sacerder. Latin sacrum Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁k-yé-ti Proto-Italic *θakjō Proto-Italic *fakjō Latin faciō Proto-Indo-European *-yós Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ium Latin sacrificiumlbor. Old French sacrifisebor. Middle English sacrifice English sacrifice From Middle English sacrifice (“act of offering a life or object to a deity; the life or object so offered”), from Anglo-Norman sacrefiz, and Old French sacrifice, sacrifise (modern French sacrifice), from Latin sacrificium (“something offered to a deity, sacrifice”), from sacrum (“sacrifice, sacrificial rite”) + faciō (“to do, to make”) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). The noun sacrum is the nominalized neuter of the adjective sacer (“devoted to a deity for sacrifice; holy, sacred”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- (“ceremony, ritual; to make sacred”), and the verb faciō is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to do; to place, put”). Related Latin formations include sacrificus (“of or pertaining to sacrifice, sacrificial”) and sacrificō (“to make a sacrifice”). Cognates * Italian sagrifizio * Occitan sacrifici * Portuguese sacrificio * Spanish sacrificio
Etymology 2
From Middle English sacrificen (“to offer a sacrifice to a deity”), from sacrifice (see etymology 1) + -en (suffix forming infinitives of verbs).