1
: one that is acted on and usually adversely affected by a force or agent
the schools are victims of the social system
: such as
a(1)
: one that is injured, destroyed, or sacrificed under any of various conditions
a victim of cancer
a victim of the auto crash
a murder victim
(2)
: one that is subjected to oppression, hardship, or mistreatment
a frequent victim of political attacks
b
: one that is tricked or duped
a con man's victim
2
: a living being sacrificed to a deity or in the performance of a religious rite
Examples of victim in a Sentence
the victims of a hoax
He was the victim of an error.
Recent Examples on the Web
In a Facebook post from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, investigators said Lombardo used his position as a basketball coach to gain the trust of victims' families and be able to hold these sleepovers multiple times.
—
Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 23 Sep. 2024
From the horror of the bombing itself, and the grief of victims’ relatives, the series turns to follow the lengthy worldwide investigation into who carried out the attack.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2024
Officials pronounced the three individuals dead at the scene, and another victim, an adult male, was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2024
The teenage boy turned himself over to police about 10 p.m. Thursday in the 7000 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue and was identified as the person who fatally shot the victim hours earlier in a residence in the 6800 block of South Cornell Avenue, police said.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 21 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for victim 
Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA TODAY, 23 Sep. 2024
From the horror of the bombing itself, and the grief of victims’ relatives, the series turns to follow the lengthy worldwide investigation into who carried out the attack.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2024
Officials pronounced the three individuals dead at the scene, and another victim, an adult male, was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2024
The teenage boy turned himself over to police about 10 p.m. Thursday in the 7000 block of South Cottage Grove Avenue and was identified as the person who fatally shot the victim hours earlier in a residence in the 6800 block of South Cornell Avenue, police said.
—Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 21 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for victim
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'victim.' 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 victim
Cite this Entry
“Victim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/victim. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
victim
noun
vic·tim
ˈvik-təm 
1
: a living being offered as a sacrifice in a religious rite
2
: an individual injured or killed (as by disease or accident)
3
: a person cheated, fooled, or harmed by another
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share