1
as in to plague
to cause persistent suffering to
people who were persecuted simply for practicing their religious faith
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2
as in to annoy
to disturb the peace of mind of (someone) especially by repeated disagreeable acts
she likes to persecute her sister with pointless, annoying questions at very inopportune times
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Recent Examples of persecute
Trump the next day jumped on the moment, claiming Biden's comment proves he is being politically persecuted.
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Michael Collins, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
Some of the spotlighted individuals, like St. Catherine of Siena and English anchoress Julian of Norwich, were celebrated in their day as visionaries, while others, including Kempe and Joan of Arc, were persecuted as heretics.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
They have been engaged in a public spat since 2017 over the late patriarch’s family home, and Lee Hsien Yang has accused Singapore’s government of persecuting him, his wife and his son.
—Sylvia Hui and Eileen Ng, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Carano was fired in 2021 after a number of controversial social media comments which ranged from anti-trans rhetoric to saying conservatives were being persecuted like Jews during WWII.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for persecute 
Michael Collins, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
Some of the spotlighted individuals, like St. Catherine of Siena and English anchoress Julian of Norwich, were celebrated in their day as visionaries, while others, including Kempe and Joan of Arc, were persecuted as heretics.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
They have been engaged in a public spat since 2017 over the late patriarch’s family home, and Lee Hsien Yang has accused Singapore’s government of persecuting him, his wife and his son.
—Sylvia Hui and Eileen Ng, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
Carano was fired in 2021 after a number of controversial social media comments which ranged from anti-trans rhetoric to saying conservatives were being persecuted like Jews during WWII.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for persecute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persecute
Verb
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The areas of the city near Sycamore Drive, Mahogany Way, Peppertree Way, and L Street have been plagued with violence over the past three months.Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024
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And Sebastian Hady can be the hero in the papers: the guy who turned the lights back on in Crown Point and ended the drug war that’s plagued Gotham for decades.Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Examples of structural issues include being easily annoyed by other people’s demands and stories about their daily activities.Courtney Smith, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024
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The report said the mailings annoyed and confused some voters.Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 2 Nov. 2024
Verb
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That’s largely the grim toll of the HIV disease that afflicts 8.4% of Malawi’s female population ages 15 to 49, and 6.7% of that age group overall, according to UNAIDS figures.John Corrigan, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
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Though Buck was still afflicted at the end of the hour, Minear confirms that Buck did break the curse.Andy Swift, TVLine, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Jeff Beal, owner of the Cigar Vault, said the business uses a ventilation system that recycles the air, so patrons of nearby businesses should not be bothered by the cigar smoke.Rachel Royster, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
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They cannot be bothered with solving the day-to-day needs-to-survive of their charges.Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Like any good network soap, Grey’s loves to torture us with exaggerated teaser clips.Laura Bradley, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024
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If the director can’t or won’t, there’s no need to torture yourself for work.R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
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However, their acid can sometimes irritate a sore throat.Julie Marks, Verywell Health, 21 Nov. 2024
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Sulfur dioxide, a toxic gas emitted during volcanic eruptions, can irritate the respiratory system, the eyes and skin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Ty Roush, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Business advocacy groups have besieged the Legislature with calls to either undo the changes or reach a compromise on minimum wage and paid leave policies.Arpan Lobo, Detroit Free Press, 16 Nov. 2024
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The Trump campaign has been besieged in the last days of the 2024 election after his New York rally Sunday featured speakers spewing racist and sexist remarks echoing Nazi language, and the Albuquerque, N.M., visit gave the campaign a chance for a visual reset.Russell Contreras, Axios, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Bungie recently acknowledged the existence of arguably the worst bug in Destiny 2’s entire history, the revelation that for years now, loot drops have been bugged to make certain perk combinations close to impossible to get, when all combinations were supposedly supposed to be weighted equally.Paul Tassi, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
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In the meantime, if the node is painful or just bugging you, resist the urge to touch or squeeze it, Dr. Norton says, which can make the swelling worse.Erica Sloan, SELF, 30 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near persecute
Cite this Entry
“Persecute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persecute. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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