sacrificesacrificesacrificessacrificedsacrificingverb (sacrifices, sacrificing, sacrificed)1to stop doing or having something important so that you can help somebody or to get something else: During the war, many people sacrificed their lives for their country.2to kill an animal as a present to a god: They sacrificed a lamb.▶ sacrificenoun: They made a lot of sacrifices to pay for their son to go to university.