persecute
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It has many tools to persecute people who exercise or facilitate reproductive freedom within its borders.
From Slate ● May 15, 2026
John Adams pushed Congress in 1798 to pass the Alien and Sedition Acts, measures that allowed the government to deport and otherwise persecute critics of the administration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 8, 2026
“Throughout the Scripture, there are two kinds of leaders: those who persecute faith communities and those who protect them,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026
"Crass content can be criticised if it offends you. However, you cannot have the state persecute and lock up people for offending your 'moral sentiments'," he wrote in a post on X.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2025
It seemed that Bobby had lapsed over the years into a state of increasingly frequent paranoia, believing as he did that people and organizations, bonded in a conspiracy, were out to persecute him.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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It must send an unequivocal message that the United States will not supply weapons to military and security services whose leadership persecutes journalists and activists.
From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2021
While Emperor Domitian persecutes the Christians, the aged apostle John has prophetic visions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2019
In the Bible, Saul persecutes Christians before he has a conversion experience on the road to Damascus and becomes the apostle Paul.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 11, 2018
When Americans hear about “tribalism,” they often imagine a faraway land where one ethnic or religious faction mercilessly persecutes another for generations.
From New York Times ● Jun. 26, 2018
Koetsweldt is another of this class, and there are also some young men of great gifts who have been prevented from rising to any height by haste, the demon that persecutes the literature of to-day.
From Holland, v. 1 (of 2) by Helen Zimmern
The property is known for its priest holes and secret hiding places, which were used to shelter persecuted Catholics during the 1590s.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Department of State gave money to groups protecting free speech, human rights and persecuted minorities in poor and authoritarian countries.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Not all Shias saw Khamenei as their principal religious guide, but he became widely respected as a clerical authority and for standing up for a sect that has historically felt persecuted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Some had been granted the opportunity to stay after proving to immigration judges that they would probably be persecuted if returned to their homeland.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026
If it hadn’t been for Bruno, Copernicanism might never have received such adverse attention from the authorities, Galileo might not have been persecuted and scientific progress in Italy might have proceeded more smoothly.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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This is a declaration that faith is not on the side of persecuting the most vulnerable communities.
From Slate ● Feb. 27, 2026
But they became giants in an era when employers were effectively free to pull out all the stops in blocking and, in some cases, persecuting union organizers.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2024
My Ukrainian Jewish parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were comfortably ensconced in the Midwest when Hitler began persecuting the Jews; I have no familial connection to the Holocaust.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2024
Ding's wife Luo Shengchun also called for the state to "stop persecuting Li Qiaochu".
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2023
“Lance, have you heard the news? A messenger has just arrived to say that this girl who is persecuting you is on her way to court, bringing the baby. She will be here this evening.”
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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Vocabulary lists containing persecute
Grade 9, List 3
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 1
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