Definition of Sacrifice

1. Noun. The act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc..

Exact synonyms: Forfeit, Forfeiture
Generic synonyms: Act, Deed, Human Action, Human Activity
Derivative terms: Forfeit, Forfeit

2. Verb. Endure the loss of. "I gave two sons to the war"
Exact synonyms: Give
Related verbs: Devote, Give, Pay, Commit, Consecrate, Dedicate, Devote, Give
Generic synonyms: Free, Give Up, Release, Relinquish, Resign

3. Noun. Personnel that are sacrificed (e.g., surrendered or lost in order to gain an objective).
Generic synonyms: Loss, Personnel Casualty

4. Verb. Kill or destroy. "They want to sacrifice the prisoners "; "The general had to sacrifice several soldiers to save the regiment"
Generic synonyms: Kill

5. Noun. A loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value. "He had to sell his car at a considerable sacrifice"
Generic synonyms: Loss

6. Verb. Sell at a loss.
Generic synonyms: Sell

7. Noun. The act of killing (an animal or person) in order to propitiate a deity.
Exact synonyms: Ritual Killing
Category relationships: Animal, Animate Being, Beast, Brute, Creature, Fauna
Generic synonyms: Kill, Killing, Putting To Death
Specialized synonyms: Hecatomb, Immolation
Derivative terms: Sacrificial

8. Verb. Make a sacrifice of; in religious rituals.
Specialized synonyms: Immolate
Generic synonyms: Offer, Offer Up
Derivative terms: Sacrificer

9. Noun. (baseball) an out that advances the base runners.
Generic synonyms: Putout
Specialized synonyms: Sacrifice Fly
Category relationships: Baseball, Baseball Game

Definition of Sacrifice

1. n. The offering of anything to God, or to a god; consecratory rite.

2. v. t. To make an offering of; to consecrate or present to a divinity by way of expiation or propitiation, or as a token acknowledgment or thanksgiving; to immolate on the altar of God, in order to atone for sin, to procure favor, or to express thankfulness; as, to sacrifice an ox or a sheep.

3. v. i. To make offerings to God, or to a deity, of things consumed on the altar; to offer sacrifice.

Definition of Sacrifice

1. Verb. (transitive) To offer (something) as a gift to a deity. ¹

2. Verb. (transitive) To give away (something valuable) to get at least a possibility to gain something else of value (such as self-respect, trust, love, freedom, prosperity), or to avoid an even greater loss. ¹

3. Verb. (transitive) To trade (a value of higher worth) for one of lesser worth in order to gain something else valued more such as an ally or business relationship or to avoid an even greater loss; to sell without profit to gain something other than money. ¹

4. Verb. (transitive) (chess) To intentionally give up (a piece) in order to improve one’s position on the board. ¹

5. Verb. (transitive) (baseball) To advance (a runner on base) by batting the ball so it can be caught or fielded, placing the batter out, but with insufficient time to put the runner out. ¹

6. Noun. Something sacrificed. ¹

7. Noun. (baseball) A play in which the batter is intentionally out in order that runners can advance around the bases. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Sacrifice

1. [v -FICED, -FICING, -FICES]

Medical Definition of Sacrifice

1. 1. The offering of anything to God, or to a god; consecratory rite. "Great pomp, and sacrifice, and praises loud, To Dagon." (Milton) 2. Anything consecrated and offered to God, or to a divinity; an immolated victin, or an offering of any kind, laid upon an altar, or otherwise presented in the way of religious thanksgiving, atonement, or conciliation. "Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood Of human sacrifice." (Milton) "My life, if thou preserv's my life, Thy sacrifice shall be." (Addison) 3. Destruction or surrender of anything for the sake of something else; devotion of some desirable object in behalf of a higher object, or to a claim deemed more pressing; hence, also, the thing so devoted or given up; as, the sacrifice of interest to pleasure, or of pleasure to interest. 4. A sale at a price less than the cost or the actual value. Burnt sacrifice. See Burnt offering, under Burnt. Sacrifice hit, in batting, a hit of such a kind that the batter loses his chance of tallying, but enables one or more who are on bases to get home or gain a base. Origin: OE. Sacrifise, sacrifice, F. Sacrifice, fr. L. Sacrificium; sacer sacer + facere = to make. See Sacred, and Fact. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Sacrifice

sacredized
sacredizes
sacredizing
sacredly
sacredness
sacrednesses
sacreligious
sacres
sacrificable
sacrifical
sacrificant
sacrificants
sacrification
sacrificator
sacrificatory
sacrifice (current term)
sacrifice bunt
sacrifice bunts
sacrifice flies
sacrifice fly
sacrifice operation
sacrificeable
sacrificed
sacrificeless
sacrificer
sacrificers
sacrifices
sacrificeth
sacrificial
sacrificial anode

Literary usage of Sacrifice

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the by Charles George Herbermann, Edward Aloysius Pace, Condé Bénoist Pallen, Thomas Joseph Shahan, John Joseph Wynne (1913)
"We shall demonstrate the applicability of this definition to the Mass in the section devoted to the nature of the sacrifice, after settling the question of ..."

2. Publications by Oriental Translation Fund (1843)
"2 When they sacrifice a cow after this manner, it is called the ... The Yajna, or " sacrifice" is to lie offered in the months of ..."

3. The History of the Reformation of the Church of England by Gilbert Burnet, Edward Nares (1843)
"The I »1.1 it inn and sacrifice of Christin the Mass, is the presenting of Christ by the Priest, in commemoration of his Passion, being our eternal and ..."

4. Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Standard Work of Reference in Art, Literature (1907)
"_ The most familiar case of this second species of sacrifice is that which ... The former kind of sacrifice is offered by the worshipper on the basis of an ..."

Other Resources:

Search for Sacrifice on Dictionary.com!Search for Sacrifice on Thesaurus.com!Search for Sacrifice on Google!Search for Sacrifice on Wikipedia!