What does sacrificing mean?
Sacrificing means giving up something that has value—often time, money, comfort, safety, or personal interests—because of a more important aim. It is used for both practical choices and moral or emotional commitments. A person might sacrifice a weekend to help a friend, a business might sacrifice profit to keep prices affordable, or a community might sacrifice convenience for safety. The word often implies a voluntary or purposeful loss, although it can also describe losses imposed by difficult circumstances. Compared with simply giving something up, sacrificing generally suggests that the thing surrendered is meaningful or costly. It is especially useful when describing choices made for a greater good, whether in personal relationships, public life, sport, or commerce.
verbGiving up something valuable, such as time, money, comfort, or safety, for a greater purpose or in the interests of others. It can also mean surrendering or yielding something.
- To give up something valuable or useful for a greater purpose, often at personal cost.
- To surrender or relinquish something, especially under pressure or for the benefit of others.
"She was willing to sacrifice her holiday to help the family move house."
"The soldiers sacrificed their comfort to complete the mission."
"The company is sacrificing profit margins to keep prices low."
Sacrificing can mean giving up something precious now in order to achieve something more important later.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sacrificing come from?
The word comes from the Latin sacrificium, meaning a ritual offering or slaughter, from sacer, “sacred,” and facere, “to make.” English adopted sacrifice in the medieval period for religious offerings and later broadened its meaning to include any solemn giving up of something valued. The related words sacramental and sacrilege reflect the same Latin association with sacred rites.
Related word forms
How sacrificing is actually used
The word is commonly used in formal and figurative contexts and often carries a sense of moral choice, personal loss, or devotion to a larger goal. In business contexts, it can describe deliberate financial or operational concessions.