crucify

verb

cru·​ci·​fy ˈkrü-sə-ˌfī 

crucified; crucifying

transitive verb

1

: to put to death by nailing or binding the wrists or hands and feet to a cross

2

: to destroy the power of : mortify

crucify the flesh

3

a

: to treat cruelly : torment

b

: pillory sense 2

crucified in the press

crucifier

ˈkrü-sə-ˌfī-ər 

noun

Examples of crucify in a Sentence

They crucified her in the newspapers for having an affair.

Recent Examples on the Web

In Catholic tradition, the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a mystical sign of the divine love of Jesus for humanity, often symbolized with an image of a human heart wrapped in a crown of thorns, like the one Jesus wore when he was crucified. —Lisa Lerer, New York Times, 11 June 2024

Catholics also participate in the Veneration of the Cross every Good Friday, where churchgoers kneel in front of the cross, similar to the one Christ was crucified on, and kiss it to demonstrate faith. —Rey Covarrubias Jr., The Arizona Republic, 29 Mar. 2024

The holy day recognizes when Jesus Christ was crucified and died on the cross at Calvary as the ultimate sacrifice for people's sins (1 John 1:10). —Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 29 Mar. 2024

After a brief period of democracy, freedom in Russia has once again been crucified. —Andrei Kolesnikov, Foreign Affairs, 13 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle English crucifien, from Anglo-French crucifier, from Late Latin crucifigere

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

crucify

verb

cru·​ci·​fy ˈkrü-sə-ˌfī 

crucified; crucifying

1

: to put to death by nailing or binding the hands and feet to a cross

2

: to treat cruelly : torture, persecute

were crucified in the newspapers

crucifier

-fī-ər 

noun

Etymology

Middle English crucifien "to crucify," from early French crucifier (same meaning), from Latin crucifigere "to crucify," from cruc-, crux "cross" and figere "to fasten, fix" — related to cross, crucifix, excruciating, fix