sacrifice

sac|ri|fice¹ [ˈsækrıfaıs] n

[Date: 1200-1300; : Old French; Origin: Latin sacrificium, from sacer ( SACRED) + facere 'to make']

1.) [U and C]

when you decide not to have something valuable, in order to get something that is more important

▪ The minister stressed the need for economic sacrifice.

▪ The workforce were willing to make sacrifices in order to preserve jobs.

▪ She brought three children up single-handedly, often at great personal sacrifice .

2.)

a) [U and C]

the act of offering something to a god, especially in the past, by killing an animal or person in a religious ceremony

▪ They made sacrifices to ensure a good harvest.

b)

an animal, person, or object offered to a god in sacrifice

sacrifice to

▪ In those days, an animal was offered as a sacrifice to God.

▪ a human sacrifice (=a person killed as a sacrifice)

3.) literary the final/supreme/ultimate sacrifice

the act of dying while you are fighting for a principle or in order to help other people

▪ Captain Oates made the ultimate sacrifice in a bid to save his colleagues.

sacrifice ²

sacrifice² v

1.) [T]

to willingly stop having something you want or doing something you like in order to get something more important

sacrifice sth for sth

▪ A Labour government chose to sacrifice defence for welfare.

sacrifice sth to do sth

▪ He sacrificed a promising career to look after his kids.

sacrifice yourself (for sth)

▪ mothers who sacrifice themselves for their children

2.) [I and T]

to kill an animal or person and offer them to a god in a religious ceremony