persecute
verb/ˈpɜːsɪkjuːt/
/ˈpɜːrsɪkjuːt/
[often passive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they persecute | /ˈpɜːsɪkjuːt/ /ˈpɜːrsɪkjuːt/ |
| he / she / it persecutes | /ˈpɜːsɪkjuːts/ /ˈpɜːrsɪkjuːts/ |
| past simple persecuted | /ˈpɜːsɪkjuːtɪd/ /ˈpɜːrsɪkjuːtɪd/ |
| past participle persecuted | /ˈpɜːsɪkjuːtɪd/ /ˈpɜːrsɪkjuːtɪd/ |
| -ing form persecuting | /ˈpɜːsɪkjuːtɪŋ/ /ˈpɜːrsɪkjuːtɪŋ/ |
- persecute somebody (for something) to treat somebody in a cruel and unfair way, especially because of their race, religion or political beliefs
- Throughout history, people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs.
- persecuted minorities
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- persecute somebody to deliberately annoy somebody all the time and make their life unpleasant synonym harass
- Why are the media persecuting him like this?
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French persecuter, from Latin persecut- ‘followed with hostility’, from the verb persequi, from per- ‘through, utterly’ + sequi ‘follow, pursue’.
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persecute