English▸ noun an act of slaughtering an animal or person or surrendering a possession as an offering to God or to a divine or supernatural figure:
they offer sacrifices to the spirits
the ancient laws of animal sacrifice.
▪ an animal, person, or object offered in a sacrifice.
▪ an act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy:
we must all be prepared to make sacrifices.
▪ Christian Church Christ's offering of himself in the Crucifixion.
▪ Christian Church the Eucharist regarded either (in Catholic terms) as a propitiatory offering of the body and blood of Christ or (in Protestant terms) as an act of thanksgiving.
▪ Chess a move intended to allow the opponent to win a pawn or piece, for strategic or tactical reasons.
▪ (also sacrifice bunt or sacrifice hit) Baseball a bunted ball that puts the batter out but allows a base runner or runners to advance.
▪ (also sacrifice bid) Bridge a bid made in the belief that it will be less costly to be defeated in the contract than to allow the opponents to make a contract.
▸ verb [with object] offer or kill as a religious sacrifice:
the goat was sacrificed at the shrine.
▪ give up (something important or valued) for the sake of other considerations:
working hard doesn't mean sacrificing your social life.
▪ Chess deliberately allow one's opponent to win (a pawn or piece).
▪ Baseball advance (a base runner) by a sacrifice.
▪ [no object] Bridge make a sacrifice bid.
– ORIGIN Middle English : from Old French, from Latin sacrificium; related to sacrificus ‘sacrificial’, from sacer ‘holy’.