a person who is killed because of their religious or political beliefs 殉道者；烈士 the early Christian martyrs 早期基督教殉道者 Putting him to death would only make him a martyr. 处死他只会让他成为烈士。 - martyr to something
a martyr to the cause of freedom 为了自由事业而献身的烈士
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- early
- glorious
- holy
- …
- make somebody
- martyr to
- die a martyr
- a martyr’s death
- (usually disapproving)
a person who tries to get sympathy from other people by telling them how much he or she is suffering 乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情） He makes a martyr of himself whenever it’s his turn to do the housework. 每当轮到他做家务的时候，他就让自己成为烈士。 Stop playing the martyr. 别再扮可怜了。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + martyr- play
- make a martyr of yourself
- martyr to something (informal)
a person who suffers very much because of an illness, problem or situation （因疾病或困难局面）长期受苦者，长期受折磨者
Word OriginOld English martir, via ecclesiastical Latin from Greek martur ‘witness’ (in Christian use, ‘martyr’).