- 1 a person who has been attacked, injured or killed as the result of a crime, a disease, an accident, etc. murder/rape, etc. victims accident/earthquake/famine, etc. victims AIDS/cancer/stroke, etc. victims victims of crime She was the innocent victim of an arson attack. Schools are the latest victims of cuts in public spending. Wordfinderaccidentaccident, ambulance, casualty, first aid, hospital, injure, paramedic, stretcher, victim, witness Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivehapless, helpless, innocent, … verb + victimbe, become, fall, … victim + verbdie, survive (something), suffer (something), … victim + nounculture, mentality, status, … prepositionvictim of phrasesplay the victim, a victim of your/its own success See full entry See related entries: Injuries
- 2 a person who has been tricked synonym target They were the victims of a cruel hoax. see also fashion victim Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivehapless, helpless, innocent, … verb + victimbe, become, fall, … victim + verbdie, survive (something), suffer (something), … victim + nounculture, mentality, status, … prepositionvictim of phrasesplay the victim, a victim of your/its own success See full entry
- 3an animal or a person that is killed and offered as a sacrifice a sacrificial victim Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivehapless, helpless, innocent, … verb + victimbe, become, fall, … victim + verbdie, survive (something), suffer (something), … victim + nounculture, mentality, status, … prepositionvictim of phrasesplay the victim, a victim of your/its own success See full entry Word Originlate 15th cent. (denoting a creature killed as a religious sacrifice): from Latin victima.Extra examples Boys are the primary victims of corporal punishment. He defrauded his innocent victims of millions of pounds. He managed to lure victims into his car. He targeted younger victims, often single women. Her son fell victim to tuberculosis. In his fantasies, women became passive and sometimes even willing victims. In his trial, he tried to portray himself as the victim of an uncaring society. Not all victims have been identified yet. She’s a fashion victim. Stop playing the victim—you knew exactly what was happening. The cut in benefits for the unemployed is a classic case of blaming the victim. The government is sending aid to flood victims. The helpline takes calls from child-abuse victims. The intended victims were selected because they seemed vulnerable. The small company became a victim of its own success when it could not supply all its orders on time. The train crash claimed its tenth victim yesterday when the driver died in hospital. The victim suffered severe cuts to the upper lip. This victim mentality is sadly all too prevalent in our country. Tourists are easy victims for pickpockets. Unfortunately, she fell victim to an unscrupulous landlord. a bill aimed at compensating victims of air pollution a service to remember the victims of the terrorist attacks groups claiming victim status the child victims of the war the failure to protect domestic-violence victims ways to avoid becoming a victim of fraud A new programme will assist stroke victims for whom mobility has become difficult. AIDS victims are prone to pick up infections. He shouldn’t feel ashamed—he was an innocent victim. She defrauded her unsuspecting victims of millions of pounds. accident/earthquake/famine victims murder/rape victimsIdioms
(formal) to be injured, damaged or killed by something Many plants have fallen victim to the sudden frost.
Check pronunciation: victim
