persecution
noun
per·se·cu·tion
ˌpər-si-ˈkyü-shən 
1
: the act or practice of persecuting especially those who differ in origin, religion, or social outlook
2
: the condition of being persecuted, harassed, or annoyed
Examples of persecution in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Up until now, Trump has been repeating his claims that his legal struggles are the result of political persecution by prosecutors including Bragg, a Democrat.
—
Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2024
Reports of persecution continue to flood in from the Sahel region — Chad, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
—Paul Tilsley, Fox News, 14 Apr. 2024
The issue of religious persecution has emerged as an objection to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s plans for military funding for Ukraine.
—Nina Shea, National Review, 11 Apr. 2024
Evgenia Kara-Murza at a news conference on political persecution in Russia, in the Swiss city of Geneva, on Monday.
—Reuters, NBC News, 25 Mar. 2024
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, furious they were left out of the negotiations, opposed its wishlist of GOP immigration priorities, including raising the threshold for asylum seekers and curbing presidential authority to parole migrants who face persecution in their home countries.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
In the 1950s and 1960s, McCarthyism swept through the nation, fueling anti-communist fervor and persecution that shook the very foundation of the American identity.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Washington must not give the Taliban’s repression of women a blank check—especially because the deepening persecution of women will feed other kinds of extremism.
—Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2024
California legislators plan to introduce a bill Thursday that would bolster efforts by Holocaust survivors, their heirs and other victims to recover artwork and other property stolen from them as a result of political persecution.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 15 Apr. 2024
Reports of persecution continue to flood in from the Sahel region — Chad, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.
—Paul Tilsley, Fox News, 14 Apr. 2024
The issue of religious persecution has emerged as an objection to House Speaker Mike Johnson’s plans for military funding for Ukraine.
—Nina Shea, National Review, 11 Apr. 2024
Evgenia Kara-Murza at a news conference on political persecution in Russia, in the Swiss city of Geneva, on Monday.
—Reuters, NBC News, 25 Mar. 2024
Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, furious they were left out of the negotiations, opposed its wishlist of GOP immigration priorities, including raising the threshold for asylum seekers and curbing presidential authority to parole migrants who face persecution in their home countries.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
In the 1950s and 1960s, McCarthyism swept through the nation, fueling anti-communist fervor and persecution that shook the very foundation of the American identity.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
Washington must not give the Taliban’s repression of women a blank check—especially because the deepening persecution of women will feed other kinds of extremism.
—Lisa Curtis, Foreign Affairs, 28 Mar. 2024
California legislators plan to introduce a bill Thursday that would bolster efforts by Holocaust survivors, their heirs and other victims to recover artwork and other property stolen from them as a result of political persecution.
—Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'persecution.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near persecution
Cite this Entry
“Persecution.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/persecution. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
persecution
noun
per·se·cu·tion
ˌpər-si-ˈkyü-shən
1
: the act or practice of persecuting
2
: the condition of being persecuted
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