as in to attack
to kill (someone) for refusing to give up a belief or cause
—usually used as (be) martyred
He was martyred for his religious beliefs.
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Recent Examples of martyr
Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 24 Dec. 2024
In the years since, Peanut’s various costumes and antics, including jumping through hoops and eating waffles, have earned him hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers, per Social Blade — even before he was martyred.
—Kate Lindsay, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
Sen. Dan Hall, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2025
This perception could turn those who, like Le Pen and Georgescu, are penalized by those institutions, into martyrs, warned Mounk.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for martyr
Verb
The skeletal remains of two saints martyred in Rome more than 1,800 years ago are on display at the front of the church, encased in illuminated glass tombs.
—Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 24 Dec. 2024
In the years since, Peanut’s various costumes and antics, including jumping through hoops and eating waffles, have earned him hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers, per Social Blade — even before he was martyred.
—Kate Lindsay, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
This holiday is particularly special for the Catholic church and promotes the commemoration of saints and martyrs.
—Sen. Dan Hall, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2025
This perception could turn those who, like Le Pen and Georgescu, are penalized by those institutions, into martyrs, warned Mounk.
—Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for martyr
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyr
Verb
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Korematsu was just 22 years old and working hard to expand his family’s flower nursery outside San Francisco when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.—
Lauren Stienstra,
Time,
17 Apr. 2025
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Every American should reject the president's and his cronies' illegitimate use of government power to attack his enemies.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The thread that connects each of these characters' stories is the choice between sacrifice and preservation.—
DeVonne Goode,
Parents,
21 Apr. 2025
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Bobby Nash was written in sacrifice and he was built for this.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Court's ruling requires DHS to provide basic procedural protections so that persons are not secretly removed to a country where they may be persecuted or tortured.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
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Michael Sang Correa was charged with torturing five men believed to be opponents of Yahya Jammeh following an unsuccessful plot to remove him from power in 2006.—
Colleen Slevin,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The loser of Friday’s game in Atlanta enters the offseason.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2025
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The winner will then play the loser of Tuesday’s No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchup, and whoever wins that game will become the East’s No. 8 seed and face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
14 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Several argued that they had been subjected to an unfair process, and had been tormented with the fear of public shaming and the ensuing consequences for their careers.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
12 Apr. 2025
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In this one-setting genre piece, Fahy’s character Violet spends most of her time scanning a restaurant trying to identify who could be tormenting her.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
11 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Others will be anguishing over Irving (John Turturro) and Burt (Christopher Walken), whose respective and collective fates weren’t addressed at all.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
21 Mar. 2025
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And yet, the film has a pretty expert ensemble — Kevin Spacey won the Oscar, but Annette Bening was even more deserving — and Conrad Hall’s photography captures all the shiny surfaces that contrast with the characters’ anguished inner worlds.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In a video posted to his Truth Social platform in December 2023, Trump accused the FBI and DOJ of sending undercover spies to churches to persecute people of faith.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
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The statement concluded with an expression of solidarity with Christians who are persecuted.—
Chloe Breyer,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Puerto Rico is frequently plagued by power outages, with the most recent island-wide event on New Year's Eve taking days to resolve.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
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Now a depth arm in the organization who was called up from triple-A Oklahoma City for a spot start Wednesday, Miller’s first MLB outing of 2025 mirrored the struggles that plagued him over the rest of 2024.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Martyr.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyr. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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