sacrifice meaning

sacrifice means giving up something important for something else.

sacrifice :

something given up, loss

noun

▪ She made a sacrifice to help her family.

▪ She gave up something to help her family.

▪ His sacrifice was appreciated by everyone.

▪ His giving up was appreciated by everyone.

paraphrasing

▪ offering – something given up

▪ loss – something lost

▪ commitment – dedication

▪ dedication – strong commitment

sacrifice

sacrifice :

to give up, to offer

verb

▪ They sacrificed their time for the project.

▪ They gave up their time for the project.

▪ She sacrificed her weekend to help friends.

▪ She gave up her weekend to help friends.

paraphrasing

▪ give up – to stop having something

▪ offer – to present something

▪ forgo – to do without

▪ relinquish – to let go of

Pronunciation

sacrifice [ˈsæk.rɪ.faɪs]

The stress is on the first syllable 'sac' and sounds like 'sak-ri-fys'.

Common phrases and grammar about sacrifice

sacrifice - Common meaning

noun
something given up, loss
verb
to give up, to offer

Part of Speech Changes for "sacrifice"

▪ sacrifice [ˈsæk.rɪ.faɪs] (noun and verb)

▪ sacrificial (adjective) – related to sacrifice

▪ sacrificeable (adjective) – able to be sacrificed

Common Expressions with "sacrifice"

▪ make a sacrifice – give something up for others

▪ personal sacrifice – giving up something for personal reasons

▪ self-sacrifice – giving up for others

▪ financial sacrifice – giving up money for a purpose


Important examples of sacrifice in TOEIC

Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test

In TOEIC vocabulary questions, sacrifice as a noun often refers to something given up for a benefit.

▪They made a sacrifice to improve the company.
▪They gave something up to improve the company.

Example of a confusing word: offering (a gift or contribution)

▪They made an offering to improve the company.
▪They gave a gift to improve the company.
"Sacrifice" as a noun means giving up something valuable for the sake of something else, such as a greater good or a goal. In the sentence "They made a sacrifice to improve the company," the word "sacrifice" correctly implies that something was relinquished for the company's benefit. "Offering," on the other hand, typically refers to a gift or contribution, often with a religious or ceremonial connotation. While it shares a semantic connection with "sacrifice," it does not imply giving up something valuable and changes the meaning of the sentence. Therefore, "sacrifice" is the correct choice in this context.

Grammar examples from the TOEIC test

As a verb, sacrifice means to give up something for a greater good.

▪She sacrificed her time for the project.
▪She gave up her time for the project.

sacrifice

Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC

personal sacrifice

giving up something for personal reasons

▪He showed personal sacrifice by working late.
▪He gave up his free time by working late.

financial sacrifice

giving up money for a purpose

▪They made financial sacrifices to expand the business.
▪They gave up money to expand the business.


Differences between similar words and sacrifice

sacrifice

,

relinquish

differences

Sacrifice is to give up something for a purpose, while relinquish means to voluntarily give up something.

sacrifice
▪She sacrificed her job to move abroad.
▪She gave up her job to move abroad.
relinquish
▪relinquish means to let go or give up something voluntarily.
▪She relinquished her position after ten years.

sacrifice

,

abandon

differences

Sacrifice means giving up something for a purpose, while abandon means leaving something behind without intention to return.

sacrifice
▪They sacrificed their resources for the new project.
▪They abandoned their plans due to budget cuts.
abandon
▪abandon means to leave something behind permanently.
▪They abandoned their plans due to budget cuts.

Words with the same origin as sacrifice

The origin of sacrifice

The word 'sacrifice' comes from the Latin 'sacrificium', meaning an offering to a god.

Word structure

It has the prefix 'sacri-' (holy) and the suffix '-fice' (to make), so sacrifice means 'to make holy'.

Words with the same origin

The root of sacrifice is 'sacr-', related to holy or sacred. Words with the same root include sacred, sacrifice, sacrament, and sacrosanct.

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