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

Some connect bad luck to biblical tradition, where Christ was believed to be crucified on a Friday, and Judas (the 13th person at the Last Supper) is believed to have betrayed Jesus. —Alex Perry, The Enquirer, 13 Sep. 2024

Richardson's situation is just one of many examples where athletes (especially Black women who are also overly scrutinized) are held to a higher standard than the average individual and crucified for anything that may seem to jeopardize their chance at winning. —Giana Levy, refinery29.com, 22 June 2024

He was arrested that evening, and crucified the next day, on a Friday. —Gabe Hauari, The Courier-Journal, 13 Sep. 2024

All of the Christians were crucified on Nishizaka Hill, the same spot where 55 martyrs would die 25 years later on the orders of Tokugawa Hidetada, the second leader of the Tokugawa shogunate. —Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Sep. 2024

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