Meaning & use

sacrifice

noun·Academic

The act of giving up something valued for the sake of something more important.

See it in a sentence

Her parents made many sacrifices so she could attend university abroad.

Winning the championship required real sacrifice from every player on the team.

A note on using this word

Sacrifice can also describe a religious offering to a deity; the everyday sense of giving something up is far more common now.

Words with a similar meaning

self-denialforfeiture

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

gain

Another way to use it

2. verb

To give up something valuable for the sake of a greater goal.

He sacrificed his weekends to finish the project on time.

Make it your own

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