the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
"After failing to meet his sales targets, he was forced to sacrifice two weeks of paid leave as a penalty."
personnel that are sacrificed (e.g., surrendered or lost in order to gain an objective)
"The general ordered his troops to sacrifice a few companies of men to secure the hill before nightfall."
a loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value
"he had to sell his car at a considerable sacrifice"
the act of killing (an animal or person) in order to propitiate a deity
"The ancient priests performed a solemn sacrifice by offering a young bull to appease the angry gods."
(baseball) an out that advances the base runners
"The batter grounded to the shortstop, making a sacrifice that brought two runners home from third base."
The offering of anything to a god; a consecratory rite.
"The ancient priest prepared a sacrificial lamb as part of the solemn offering to honor the gods."
In plain English: A sacrifice is something you give up so someone else can have what they want.
"The team made a big sacrifice to win the championship game."
kill or destroy
"The animals were sacrificed after the experiment"
"The general had to sacrifice several soldiers to save the regiment"
sell at a loss
"The car dealer decided to sacrifice his inventory by selling the old models below market value to clear space before the new arrival."
make a sacrifice of; in religious rituals
"The priest made a sacrifice of a young lamb to honor the harvest gods during the ancient festival."
To offer (something) as a gift to a deity.
"The ancient priest sacrificed an ox to honor the sun god."
In plain English: To sacrifice means to give up something you want so that someone else can have it or achieve their goal.
"She decided to sacrifice her weekend trip so she could help her sick neighbor."
Usage: In everyday language, sacrifice means giving up something valuable or painful for the sake of another person or goal rather than performing religious rituals. Use this verb when describing personal concessions like time, comfort, or resources in secular contexts.
The word "sacrifice" entered English via Anglo-Norman and Old French from the Latin sacrificium, which originally meant something offered to a deity. It is formed by combining the root for sacred rites with a verb meaning "to do," effectively describing an act of offering life or objects to gods.