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persecute

[pur-si-kyoot] / ˈpɜr sɪˌkjut /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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It has many tools to persecute people who exercise or facilitate reproductive freedom within its borders.

From Slate May 15, 2026

John Adams pushed Congress in 1798 to pass the Alien and Sedition Acts, measures that allowed the government to deport and otherwise persecute critics of the administration.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 8, 2026

“Throughout the Scripture, there are two kinds of leaders: those who persecute faith communities and those who protect them,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 25, 2026

So what motivated people to persecute these women?

From BBC Mar. 17, 2024

It seemed that Bobby had lapsed over the years into a state of increasingly frequent paranoia, believing as he did that people and organizations, bonded in a conspiracy, were out to persecute him.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

It must send an unequivocal message that the United States will not supply weapons to military and security services whose leadership persecutes journalists and activists.

From Slate Feb. 26, 2021

While Emperor Domitian persecutes the Christians, the aged apostle John has prophetic visions.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 8, 2019

In the Bible, Saul persecutes Christians before he has a conversion experience on the road to Damascus and becomes the apostle Paul.

From The New Yorker Sep. 11, 2018

When Americans hear about “tribalism,” they often imagine a faraway land where one ethnic or religious faction mercilessly persecutes another for generations.

From New York Times Jun. 26, 2018

Koetsweldt is another of this class, and there are also some young men of great gifts who have been prevented from rising to any height by haste, the demon that persecutes the literature of to-day.

From Holland, v. 1 (of 2) by Helen Zimmern

Department of State gave money to groups protecting free speech, human rights and persecuted minorities in poor and authoritarian countries.

From Salon Jul. 21, 2026

Not all Shias saw Khamenei as their principal religious guide, but he became widely respected as a clerical authority and for standing up for a sect that has historically felt persecuted.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 8, 2026

Some had been granted the opportunity to stay after proving to immigration judges that they would probably be persecuted if returned to their homeland.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 21, 2026

They have a long history of being persecuted and betrayed.

From BBC Mar. 5, 2026

A steady flow of refugees into town—most recently, Burundians and Karen, a persecuted ethnic group from Burma—has meant that there has been no shortage of boys who want to try out for the Fugees.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John

Rome’s shift from persecuting Christians to forming partnerships with them helped stabilize a weakened political order and opened a new era in the empire’s history.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 17, 2026

This contrasted with a long-standing Sikh tradition that, by as early as 1711, held Aurangzeb responsible for persecuting their spiritual leaders and community.

From BBC Jun. 27, 2026

This is a declaration that faith is not on the side of persecuting the most vulnerable communities.

From Slate Feb. 27, 2026

But they became giants in an era when employers were effectively free to pull out all the stops in blocking and, in some cases, persecuting union organizers.

From Seattle Times Apr. 28, 2024

“Lance, have you heard the news? A messenger has just arrived to say that this girl who is persecuting you is on her way to court, bringing the baby. She will be here this evening.”

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White




Vocabulary lists containing persecute


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