sacrifice

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Religion

n. the act of killing an animal or offering an object to a god as part of a religious ceremony.

n. the ritual slaughter of an animal or person, or the offering of a possession, as an act of propitiation or homage to a deity.

日本語:犠牲※

“In ancient times, people offered a sheep as a sacrifice to ensure a good harvest.”

“The high priest performed the annual sacrifice at the altar to appease the gods and protect the city from plague.”

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Slang · Informal

n. selling something for much less money than it is actually worth.

n. a sale of goods at a price significantly below their market value, typically resulting in a financial loss.

“He had to sell his car at a real sacrifice because he needed the cash immediately.”

“The liquidator sold off the remaining inventory at a massive sacrifice to satisfy the primary creditors before the end of the fiscal year.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Sports

n. an intentional move that loses a piece or a turn to get a better position later.

n. the intentional loss of a piece in chess or a batter's out in baseball to gain a strategic advantage.

“The player made a clever sacrifice of his knight to trap the opponent's queen.”

“The batter's sacrifice allowed the runner on third base to score the winning run in the final inning.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to give up something important for a special reason.

v. to surrender or give up something for the sake of an alternative or higher priority.

“They had to sacrifice their summer holiday to pay for the house repairs.”

“The architect refused to sacrifice the building's aesthetic integrity simply to reduce the construction costs.”

C1 · Advanced Science Technical

v. to kill an animal for a scientific experiment.

v. to kill an animal for the purpose of scientific research or testing.

“The lab mice were sacrificed at the end of the study to examine their tissues.”

“Ethical guidelines require that animals be sacrificed humanely once the experimental data has been collected.”