1
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
people who were persecuted simply for practicing their religious faith
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
she likes to persecute her sister with pointless, annoying questions at very inopportune times
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of persecute
The historical claim that Christianity replaced Judaism as a superior faith resulted in laws and language that persecuted Jews—and laid a foundation for white supremacy, too, a new book argues.
—
Miri Rubin, The New York Review of Books, 20 Mar. 2025
Other entries discuss feeling ostracized and persecuted by the Oregon community.
—Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2025
History is full of tragic situations where political and religious leaders have tried to muzzle and persecute scientists.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Why not create a tartan to honor those persecuted for witchcraft?
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecute
Miri Rubin, The New York Review of Books, 20 Mar. 2025
Other entries discuss feeling ostracized and persecuted by the Oregon community.
—Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2025
History is full of tragic situations where political and religious leaders have tried to muzzle and persecute scientists.
—Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
Why not create a tartan to honor those persecuted for witchcraft?
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persecute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecute
Verb
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Puerto Rico is frequently plagued by power outages, with the most recent island-wide event on New Year's Eve taking days to resolve.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
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Now a depth arm in the organization who was called up from triple-A Oklahoma City for a spot start Wednesday, Miller’s first MLB outing of 2025 mirrored the struggles that plagued him over the rest of 2024.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Waltz now has a bunch of top officials, and their teams, who are annoyed at him for drawing bad publicity.—
Marc Caputo,
Axios,
25 Mar. 2025
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However, standing in the middle of a road to capture the Eiffel Tower in the background is not only unsafe but can also annoy locals.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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As inflation, tariffs, and other economic woes start afflicting the working class, Americans must not ignore the quiet rumble of tax reform on Capitol Hill, which poses additional concerns for those who are already struggling -- especially the most financially vulnerable among us.—
Jack Salmon,
National Review,
14 Apr. 2025
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For instance, if your potatoes and tomatoes are afflicted with black spot, don't plant your rose in the vegetable garden.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Chicago Bears - Will Campbell, OL, LSU Will Campbell has fallen a bit due to his shorter arm length, but that likely won't bother Ben Johnson.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Mar. 2025
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Because Congress never bothered to write a law to establish it.—
Jay Cost,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The Court's ruling requires DHS to provide basic procedural protections so that persons are not secretly removed to a country where they may be persecuted or tortured.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
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Michael Sang Correa was charged with torturing five men believed to be opponents of Yahya Jammeh following an unsuccessful plot to remove him from power in 2006.—
Colleen Slevin,
Denver Post,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
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If not properly diluted, vinegar's acidity can irritate your throat or erode tooth enamel over time.—
Johna Burdeos,
Health,
7 Apr. 2025
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The second walk irritated the pitcher, as home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman’s ball four call on a 3-2 count appeared incorrect.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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At the start of the invasion, Russian troops besieged the city, forcing residents to endure harsh winter conditions without electricity or water under constant shelling from Russian artillery, missiles and drones.—
Illia Novikov,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2025
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Consumers are besieged nearly every day about some news about Elon Musk’s latest moves at the Department of Government Efficiency to gain access to government records that contain sensitive personal data, including Social Security numbers.—
Susan Tompor,
USA TODAY,
1 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Aaron Boone said Bellinger’s back started bugging him during Thursday’s game against the Diamondbacks.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2025
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Ralph Macchio on the one thing that still bugs him about Karate Kid Part II My Cousin Vinny tells the story of three bombastic Italian-Americans caught up in an over-the-top legal drama.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persecute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecute. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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