sacrificing

Verb

sacrifice (third-person singular simple present sacrifices, present participle sacrificing, simple past and past participle sacrificed)

1. (transitive) To offer (a human being or an animal, or an object) to a deity.
   • And there ſhall bee no leauened bread ſeene with thee in all thy coaſts ſeuen dayes, neither ſhall there any thing of the fleſh, which thou ſacrificedſt the firſt day at Euen, remaine all night, vntill the morning.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 16:4, column 2

   Synonyms:

   Molochise, Molochize

2. (broadly, figuratively, transitive) To destroy or kill (a human being or an animal); specifically (sciences), to kill (an animal) for a scientific experiment or test.
   • Condemn'd to ſacrifice his childiſh Years / To babling Ign'rance, and to empty Fears; […]1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC, page 476
3. (broadly, figuratively, transitive) To destroy or surrender (something) for the sake of something else regarded as more urgent or valuable.
   • Venison has many advantages over meat from factory farms, although it still requires a hunter to sacrifice the life of a deer.
4. (broadly, figuratively, transitive) Of a batter: to advance (one or more runners on base) by batting the ball so it can be fielded, placing the batter out but with insufficient time to put the runner(s) out.
5. (broadly, dated, figuratively, slang, transitive) To sell (something) at less than its value, thus incurring a monetary loss.
   • A newspaper advertisement announces that "A professional gentleman is instructed to sacrifice Three young sound Horses at half their cost." We wonder what deity horses could be sacrificed to?1850 March 30, “Sacrifice Extraordinary”, in Punch, or The London Charivari, volume XVIII, London: […] William Bradbury, […], and Frederick Mullett Evans, […], →OCLC, page 130, column 2
6. (broadly, figuratively, transitive) To intentionally allow (a piece) to be captured by the opponent in order to improve one's position in the game.

See all 19 meanings of sacrifice