From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcrucifycru‧ci‧fy /ˈkruːsɪfaɪ/ verb (crucified, crucifying, crucifies) [transitive] 1 MXKILLto kill someone by fastening them to a cross2 CRITICIZEto criticize someone severely and cruelly for something they have done, especially in public→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
crucify• If the newspapers find out, you'll be crucified.• One does not need to go to Jerusalem to be crucified.• You speak your mind, and you get crucified for it.• He would be heartbreakingly tender with her body while he crucified her mind and dragged her pride through the mud.• He had been crucified on to the floor and, like the last victim, had been alive when this had occurred.• After all, it crucified our Lord!• So why crucify yourself in public?Origin crucify (1300-1400) Old French crucifier, from Late Latin crucifigere, from Latin crux ( → CROSS2) + figere “to fasten” 