1
: a person who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty of witnessing to and refusing to renounce a religion
2
: a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle
a martyr to the cause of freedom
3
: victim
especially
: a great or constant sufferer
a martyr to asthma all his life —
A. J. Cronin
A. J. Cronin
martyred; martyring; martyrs
1
: to put to death for adhering to a belief, faith, or profession
2
: to inflict agonizing pain on : torture
Examples of martyr in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebAmy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2024
Ryan and Robbie and Gus, for them, he’s held a bit like Oscar Wilde is held in British history as a martyr.
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2024
Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2024
Their mother was martyred and so was their brother.
—Antoinette Radford, CNN, 9 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for martyr 
Noun
The image of Harris the prosecutor taking on Trump the felon is a compelling one, but the attendant hazard is his knack for presenting himself as a martyr.
—Amy Davidson Sorkin, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2024
Ryan and Robbie and Gus, for them, he’s held a bit like Oscar Wilde is held in British history as a martyr.
—Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2024
Verb
Herzog wasn’t martyred for his art, and he should be relieved by that.
—Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2024
Their mother was martyred and so was their brother.
—Antoinette Radford, CNN, 9 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for martyr
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'martyr.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near martyr
Cite this Entry
“Martyr.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/martyr. Accessed 12 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
martyr
1 of 2 noun
mar·tyr
ˈmärt-ər 
1
: a person who suffers death rather than give up his or her religion
2
: one who sacrifices life or something of great value for a principle or cause
3
: a person who suffers greatly
martyr
2 of 2 verb1
: to put to death for refusing to give up a belief
2
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share