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
Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2025
Yoko, a new biography about Ono by David Sheff, opens with a prologue about Cut Piece, introducing her—as provocateur, martyr, and social experimenter—through the lens of her own creation.
—Beatrice Loayza, ARTnews.com, 26 Mar. 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
Saint is a stand-in for his father, who envisions himself as a martyr being attacked by all sides.
—Jayson Buford, Rolling Stone, 29 Mar. 2025
Yoko, a new biography about Ono by David Sheff, opens with a prologue about Cut Piece, introducing her—as provocateur, martyr, and social experimenter—through the lens of her own creation.
—Beatrice Loayza, ARTnews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for martyr
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyr
Verb
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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
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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
Noun
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Their sacrifices and bravery were foundational to the nation’s independence, and acknowledging their stories ensures a more inclusive and accurate portrayal of American history.—
Will Minter,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2025
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Their small sacrifices have given Weil a thundering fundraising lead: nearly $10 million and counting, to Fine’s roughly $1 million (various sources report different figures) more than half of which appears to be his own money.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
25 Mar. 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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Sold to the public as increasing transparency, the legislation has been utilized to persecute Georgia’s opposition and arrest dissidents with impunity.—
Anastasiya Zavyalova,
The Conversation,
28 Mar. 2025
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Again, none of these Beautiful People ever thought of assisting Americans who were being persecuted by the Deep State these last few years before Jan. 20.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 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 23 Apr. 2025.
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