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⇱ martyr - WordReference.com Dictionary of English


martyr

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈmɑːrr/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈmɑrtɚ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(märtər)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
mar•tyr /ˈmɑrtɚ/USA pronunciation   n. 
    [countable]
  1. Religionone who willingly suffers death rather than give up his or her religion:early Christian martyrs.
  2. one who suffers for a cause.
  3. one who undergoes suffering.

v. [+ object]
  1. to make a martyr of, esp. by putting to death.
  2. to torment; torture.
mar•tyr•dom /ˈmɑrtɚdəm/USA pronunciation  n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
mar•tyr  (märtər),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Religiona person who willingly suffers death rather than renounce his or her religion.
  2. a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause:a martyr to the cause of social justice.
  3. a person who undergoes severe or constant suffering:a martyr to severe headaches.
  4. a person who seeks sympathy or attention by feigning or exaggerating pain, deprivation, etc.

v.t. 
  1. to make a martyr of, esp. by putting to death.
  2. to torment or torture.
  • Late Greek mártyr, variant of Greek mártys, mártyros witness; (verb, verbal) Middle English martiren, Old English martyrian, derivative of noun, nominal
  • Late Latin
  • (noun, nominal) Middle English marter, Old English martyr bef. 900
martyr•ish, adj. 
martyr•ly, adv., adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
martyr /ˈmɑːtə/ n
  1. a person who suffers death rather than renounce his or her religious beliefs
  2. a person who suffers greatly or dies for a cause, belief, etc
  3. a person who suffers from poor health, misfortune, etc: he's a martyr to rheumatism
vb also: martyrize, martyrise /ˈmɑːtɪˌraɪz/ (transitive)
  1. to kill as a martyr
  2. to make a martyr of
Etymology: Old English martir, from Church Latin martyr, from Late Greek martur-, martus witnessˌmartyriˈzation, ˌmartyriˈsation n
'martyr' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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