sacrifice
sacrifice — noun
1. the act of choosing to give up something that you value — such as your time, mon
the act of choosing to give up something that you value — such as your time, money, comfort, or career — for another person's benefit or to reach a goal that matters more to you
Tuan made huge sacrifices to send his younger sister to university, including working two jobs for three years.
collocation: make + sacrifice
Becoming a surgeon required the sacrifice of many weekends and holidays during Ayana's training.
the sacrifice of + noun phrase
The firefighters' willingness to put themselves in danger was a sacrifice the whole community recognized.
Moving to a new city for a better job often involves a real sacrifice of friendship and community.
Raising a child with special needs demands daily sacrifices that most people never see.
countable plural: daily sacrifices
- great sacrifice
- personal sacrifice
- financial sacrifice
- necessary sacrifice
- ultimate sacrifice
- make a sacrifice
- the sacrifice of
- self-denial
emphasizes refraining from pleasure rather than giving up something you already have
- renunciation
more formal; suggests a deliberate, often principled, decision to give something up forever
- self-indulgence
focus on personal pleasure without concern for others or larger goals
Grammar Patterns
make + sacrifice
the sacrifice of + noun
Usage Note
Countable when referring to a specific act (made three sacrifices); uncountable when talking about the concept in general (Sacrifice is never easy).
Common Mistakes
2. in baseball, a play where the batter purposely makes contact and gets put out, s
in baseball, a play where the batter purposely makes contact and gets put out, so that a runner already on the base path can move forward or score
With a runner on first base, Ramón laid down a perfect sacrifice to move his teammate into scoring position.
collocation: lay down + a sacrifice
The coach signaled for a sacrifice, and the batter successfully advanced both runners before being thrown out at first.
Statistically, a well-timed sacrifice increases a team's chance of scoring in a close game.
Announcers praised the rookie for executing a sacrifice that brought the go-ahead run home.
A sacrifice is not counted as an official at-bat, so it does not hurt the player's batting average.
domain-specific rule explanation
- hit a sacrifice
- lay down a sacrifice
- sacrifice bunt
- sacrifice fly
- suicide squeeze
- sacrifice bunt
a specific type of sacrifice using a bunt; the more general term is simply 'sacrifice'
- sacrifice fly
a specific type of sacrifice where the ball is caught in the outfield; scored differently
Grammar Patterns
hit + a sacrifice
lay down + a sacrifice
Usage Note
Usually appears in baseball commentary or coaching contexts. The two most common forms are the sacrifice bunt (the batter holds the bat out to lightly tap the ball) and the sacrifice fly (a deep hit caught for an out, allowing a runner to score).
3. the religious practice of killing a person or animal and presenting the life to
the religious practice of killing a person or animal and presenting the life to a deity; the living being that is killed and presented in this rite
The ancient Maya made human sacrifices at their pyramids during important religious festivals.
collocation: make a sacrifice (religious context)
In the old temple, archaeologists found an altar where goats and sheep were offered as sacrifices to the sun god.
offered as a sacrifice
The priest declared that a pure white lamb would be the sacrifice at the harvest ceremony.
Scholars debate whether the Norse practice of human sacrifice was common or only reserved for crisis moments.
The farmer offered a young goat as a sacrifice at the shrine to thank the spirits for a good harvest.
pattern: offer + as a sacrifice
- human sacrifice
- animal sacrifice
- blood sacrifice
- ritual sacrifice
- sacrificial offering
- offer as a sacrifice
Grammar Patterns
offer + as a sacrifice
make + a sacrifice + to + god
Usage Note
In modern English, this sense appears most often in historical, archaeological, or anthropological writing. The word 'offering' is more common in contemporary religious contexts.
Common Mistakes
4. a financial loss that you accept when you sell something for less than its true
a financial loss that you accept when you sell something for less than its true value, or a penalty you pay because of a mistake or failure to meet an obligation
Wei accepted a loss of nearly thirty percent when he sold his shares before the company collapsed.
financial context: accept + loss
The shop was forced to sell its best furniture at a sacrifice when the owner retired.
phrase: at a sacrifice
Investors who pulled out early accepted a heavy sacrifice on their initial investment.
The company recorded the sale as a sacrifice because the assets were worth far more on paper.
Selling the land at a sacrifice was the only way to avoid bankruptcy.
- at a sacrifice
- sell at a sacrifice
- accept a sacrifice
- suffer a sacrifice
- financial sacrifice
Grammar Patterns
at a sacrifice
suffer + a sacrifice
accept + a sacrifice
Usage Note
Almost always appears in formal financial or legal contexts. The phrase 'at a sacrifice' has a slightly old-fashioned, formal tone in modern business English.
Common Mistakes
sacrifice — verb
1. to choose to let go of something important to you — such as your free time, care
to choose to let go of something important to you — such as your free time, career plans, comfort, or possessions — because helping someone or reaching a larger goal matters more
Ayesha sacrificed her lunch break every day for a month to help her colleague prepare for the certification exam.
sacrifice + noun + for + person
Minho sacrificed a promising career in Seoul to return to Busan and care for his aging parents.
Many nurses sacrificed sleep and time with their own families during the height of the pandemic.
sacrifice + abstract noun
Roya sacrificed her dream of traveling abroad to stay close to her younger brother after their parents divorced.
The athlete sacrificed junk food and late nights for months in order to qualify for the national team.
sacrifice + noun + for + goal
- sacrifice time
- sacrifice comfort
- sacrifice one's life
- sacrifice everything
- sacrifice for
Grammar Patterns
sacrifice + noun
sacrifice + noun + for + noun/person
Usage Note
The object is typically something personal and valuable — free time, career prospects, comfort, relationships. The preposition 'for' introduces the person or purpose.
Common Mistakes
2. in baseball, to swing the bat with the deliberate aim of being put out, so that
in baseball, to swing the bat with the deliberate aim of being put out, so that a runner already on the base path can advance or bring home a run
With nobody out and a runner on second, Eli sacrificed the runner over to third with a well-placed bunt.
sacrifice + runner + to + base
The batter sacrificed himself to center field, allowing the runner on third to tag up and score the winning run.
In a tight game, the ninth batter sacrificed the runner to second with a slow bunt down the first-base line.
Shanti squared around to sacrifice, pushing the ball softly toward third base.
intransitive use: to sacrifice (no direct object)
The announcer noted that the shortstop would probably sacrifice if the count reached two strikes.
- sacrifice bunt
- sacrifice fly
- sacrifice the runner
- sacrifice to the opposite field
- bunt
the specific technique used to sacrifice; not all bunts are sacrifices, and not all sacrifices are bunts (e.g. sacrifice fly)
- hit a sacrifice fly
a specific type of sacrifice using a deep fly ball instead of a bunt
Grammar Patterns
sacrifice + (runner) + to + base
sacrifice + (object) + to + (person)
Usage Note
Used primarily in baseball play-by-play commentary. When used transitively, the object is the runner being advanced. When used intransitively (he sacrificed to right field), the batter's own out is implied.
3. to kill a person or animal, presenting the life as a gift to a deity, as part of
to kill a person or animal, presenting the life as a gift to a deity, as part of a religious ceremony
The ancient Greeks sacrificed goats and sheep to Zeus before setting out on long sea voyages.
sacrifice + animal + to + god
Inca priests sacrificed a young llama at the summit of the mountain to ask the sun god for rain.
Viking warriors sometimes sacrificed captured prisoners to Odin before major battles.
The temple carvings show a king sacrificing a bull on the altar during the spring equinox.
pattern: sacrifice + animal + on + altar
Hittite records describe how priests sacrificed birds to purify a house after a death.
- sacrifice to the gods
- sacrifice on the altar
- offer up as a sacrifice
- ritually sacrifice
Grammar Patterns
sacrifice + noun + to + god/deity
sacrifice + noun + on + altar
Usage Note
In modern English this sense appears mainly in historical, anthropological, or mythological writing. The preposition 'to' introduces the deity receiving the offering.
Common Mistakes
4. to sell something for less than it is worth or less than the price originally pa
to sell something for less than it is worth or less than the price originally paid, usually because you urgently need money or cannot afford to keep holding it
The retailer sacrificed its winter inventory at half price to pay off urgent debts.
sacrifice + inventory + at + price
When the lease expired, Eve sacrificed the restaurant equipment for whatever cash she could get.
The developer sacrificed three condos below market price just to cover the bank loan.
Unable to find a buyer, the gallery sacrificed the paintings to a dealer who paid cash on the spot.
Farmers were forced to sacrifice their cattle for a fraction of what the animals were worth.
sacrifice + noun + for + price (below value)
- sacrifice assets
- sacrifice inventory
- sacrifice at a loss
- be forced to sacrifice
- sell at a loss
more common in everyday English; neutral about the reason for selling cheaply
- unload
informal; suggests getting rid of something unwanted or burdensome
- profit from
to make money from a sale
Grammar Patterns
sacrifice + noun
sacrifice + noun + for + price
Usage Note
Less common in everyday speech; often replaced by 'sell at a loss' or 'unload.' The sense carries a tone of urgency and financial necessity.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- sacrificialadjectiveC1
- sacrificiallyadverbC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
All four verbs describe choosing not to keep or use something, but they differ in the reason and emotional weight. 'Sacrifice' implies giving up something important for a noble purpose or to help another — it carries a sense of meaningful cost: 'She sacrificed her career to raise her children.' 'Give up' is the most general and neutral; it covers everything from quitting a habit to surrendering in a conflict: 'He gave up smoking,' 'They gave up after three hours.' 'Forfeit' means losing or giving something up as a penalty or because of a rule: 'The team forfeited the match when too many players were injured.' 'Forgo' is a deliberate, often mild, choice to do without something, usually a pleasure or convenience: 'I'll forgo dessert to save room for coffee.' Use sacrifice when the loss is significant and purposeful; give up for everyday surrender; forfeit for rule-based penalties; forgo for small, voluntary abstention.
Common collocations
Etymology
From Latin 'sacrificium', a compound of 'sacer' (holy, sacred) and 'facere' (to make, to do). The original meaning was 'to make holy' — an act of setting something apart for a deity. The word entered English through Old French in the 13th century, and over time its meaning broadened from religious offerings to any act of giving up something valuable for a greater purpose.