crucify meaning and definition

CRUCIFY verb

Definition of crucify (verb)

1. kill by nailing onto a cross
   • "Jesus Christ was crucified"
2. treat cruelly
   • "The children tormented the stuttering teacher"
   • synonyms: bedevil, dun, frustrate, rag, torment
3. hold within limits and control
   • "subdue one's appetites"; "mortify the flesh"
   • synonyms: mortify, subdue
4. criticize harshly or violently
   • "The press savaged the new President"; "The critics crucified the author for plagiarizing a famous passage"
   • synonyms: blast, pillory, savage