1
: one that is acted on and usually adversely affected by a force or agent
the schools are victims of the social system
: such as
a(1)
: one that is injured, destroyed, or sacrificed under any of various conditions
a victim of cancer
a victim of the auto crash
a murder victim
(2)
: one that is subjected to oppression, hardship, or mistreatment
a frequent victim of political attacks
b
: one that is tricked or duped
a con man's victim
2
: a living being sacrificed to a deity or in the performance of a religious rite
Examples of victim in a Sentence
the victims of a hoax
He was the victim of an error.
Recent Examples on the Web
Paying ransoms does not guarantee a return to normal business operations, and 35% of victims who paid a ransom, according to the in-house analysis of data, either did not receive decryption keys or received corrupted keys.
—
Davey Winder, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Authorities struggled to identify and process all of the victims.
—arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2025
Those who call asking for financial help are put through to the Vatican almoner’s office, which has provided aid recently to victims of war in Ukraine, floods in Brazil and homelessness in Naples in southern Italy.
—Giovanna Dell’orto, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2025
Most people — 79% — who reported an investment scam to the FTC lost money, with the typical victim losing more than $9,000 on average, the agency said.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for victim
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Davey Winder, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
Authorities struggled to identify and process all of the victims.
—arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2025
Those who call asking for financial help are put through to the Vatican almoner’s office, which has provided aid recently to victims of war in Ukraine, floods in Brazil and homelessness in Naples in southern Italy.
—Giovanna Dell’orto, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2025
Most people — 79% — who reported an investment scam to the FTC lost money, with the typical victim losing more than $9,000 on average, the agency said.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for victim
Cite this Entry
“Victim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/victim. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
victim
noun
vic·tim
ˈvik-təm 
1
: a living being offered as a sacrifice in a religious rite
2
: an individual injured or killed (as by disease or accident)
3
: a person cheated, fooled, or harmed by another
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share