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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

"The answer, we know from the Gospel, is love and always love. Love for our enemies, and love for those who persecute us."

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2025

The people she chose, young and old, from the rich part of town or the more modest streets, did not individually persecute Cora.

From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead

Facebook isn’t the only Big Tech company that zealously persecutes leakers; Apple is currently embroiled in controversy over the way it handles employee whistleblowing.

From Slate ● Oct. 27, 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

When the King wrongs some one, he persecutes him, and will not let him appear in his presence.

From The Countess Cosel A Romance of History of the Times of Augustus the Strong by Jo?zef Ignacy Kraszewski

And a Black athlete empowered to stand for Black people is an athlete who should expect to be persecuted, like Curt Flood, whom Kaepernick mentioned.

From Salon ● Sep. 29, 2026

The property is known for its priest holes and secret hiding places, which were used to shelter persecuted Catholics during the 1590s.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Even after 1964, when Leonid Brezhnev halted reforms, persecuted dissidents and presided over what came to be regarded as “the era of stagnation,” the arbitrary arrests of millions did not resume.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Recent polls have shown that an implausibly high percentage of Germans -- between 11 and 18 percent -- think their grandparents tried to help those being persecuted by the Nazi regime, Spohr noted.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

“Basically, I really need them, and one way or the other, Pm going to get them. Only in today’s sick society can a man be persecuted for reading too many books.”

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

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


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