sacrifice

sac·ri·fice (sak′rə fīs′)

noun

1. the act of offering the life of a person or animal, or some object, in propitiation of or homage to a deity
2. something so offered
1. the act of giving up, destroying, permitting injury to, or forgoing something valued for the sake of something having a more pressing claim
2. a thing so given up, etc.
1. a selling or giving up of something at less than its supposed value
2. the loss incurred
☆ Baseball a sacrifice bunt or sacrifice fly

Etymology: OFr < L sacrificium < sacer, sacred + facere, to make, do

transitive verb -·ficed′, -·fic′·ing

to offer as a sacrifice to God or a god
to give up, destroy, permit injury to, or forgo (something valued) for the sake of something having a more pressing claim
to sell at less than the supposed value
☆ Baseball to advance (a base runner) by means of a sacrifice

intransitive verb

sac′·ri·fic′er noun

An offering to a deity
offering, tribute, oblation, expiation, atonement, reparation, penance, propitiation, libation, sacrificial lamb, burnt offering.
A loss
discount, deduction, reduction; see loss 1.
In baseball, a play that advances a runner at the expense of the batter
fielder's choice, sacrifice fly, bunt, noble deed*.

To offer to a deity
consecrate, immolate, dedicate, give up, devote, offer up, hallow, worship, make an offering of; see also bless 3.
To give up as a means to an end
forfeit, forgo, relinquish, yield, suffer the loss of, permit injury to, renounce, spare, give up, let go, resign oneself to, endure the loss of, sacrifice oneself, abandon oneself to, surrender, part with, waive, go astray from.
To sell at a loss
cut, reduce, sell out, sell at a bargain, have a fire sale, mark down, take shrinkage, take a beating, incur a loss, sell for a song*; see also decrease 2, lose 2.

Object

bull: We are true to you, see, we have sacrificed a bull to you.
lamb: They sacrificed a lamb at Passover because that's what their ancestors had to do when they were slaves in Egypt.

Converse of object

Preposition: at

altar: Both were lambs to the slaughter, sacrificed at the altar of Capote's ruthless pursuit of adulation.

Adjective modifier

supreme: He said consideration would be given to laying a wreath each year on 23 March to mark Joseph's supreme sacrifice.
ultimate: His love of the Faith - of God - led him to make the ultimate sacrifice.
heroic: Mr. Letta also said this is a time for the country to honor the heroic sacrifice of Nicola Calipari without divisions and without controversy.
human: At first, his priests had gone into an orgy of human sacrifice.
bloody: We should remember that the Essenes went so far as to refuse to bring bloody sacrifices at all.

Preposition: on

altar: I won't let quality be sacrificed on the altar of expediency.

Noun used with modifier

salary: How does a pensions only salary sacrifice scheme compare to pensions offered via flexible benefits?
ritual: Must also remember to bring a knife to Spinning Jenny that day - ritual sacrifice of cake!
Sabbath: We have no way of knowing who the hostile power was in the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice.
pagan: There, having protected themselves from being forced to do pagan sacrifices, they fell into a miraculous sleep.

Preposition: of

atonement: God presented [ Christ ] as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.
thanksgiving: Finally, let it be always by the mercies of God that you are moved to present yourselves a sacrifice of thanksgiving to him.
praise: And the sacrifices we offer up to God are sacrifices of praise.

Preposition: for

sake: He exemplifies the spirit of sacrifice for the sake of Christ that has no public kudos.
sin: Nowhere else than here, no time else than now, is there any sacrifice for sin.

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