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# persecute

«persecute» in Mova's school dictionary: **to treat them cruelly and unfairly for a long time…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (persecute, persecutes, persecuted, persecuting)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To persecute people is to treat them cruelly and unfairly for a long time, especially because of their religion, race, beliefs or who they are. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/persecute/#m1)

2) To persecute someone can also mean to keep annoying or bothering them. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/persecute/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In history and religious education, the early Christians were persecuted by Roman rulers, and many groups (such as Jews) have been persecuted through history; this tells the reader about injustice and suffering. In the Bible, Saul persecuted Christians before he became the apostle Paul. In ethics lessons pupils learn that persecution is wrong. Phrases: "persecuted for their faith", "flee persecution", "persecute minorities".

### examples

- Many families fled their country because they were persecuted for their religion. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/persecute/#x1)
- (Bible) Before he became Paul, Saul persecuted the followers of Jesus. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/persecute/#x2)
- The early Christians were persecuted by Roman emperors. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/persecute/#x3)
- People should never be persecuted for the colour of their skin. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/persecute/#x4)
- Refugees often escape from being persecuted. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/persecute/#x5)
- The bullies persecuted him with nasty messages for weeks. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/persecute/#x6)
- Nevertheless, he does not cease to persecute me and to kill my subjects. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/persecute/#x7)

### note

Noun: persecution; a person who persecutes is a persecutor. Do not confuse with "prosecute", which means to accuse someone in a court of law: the police and lawyers prosecute criminals, but cruel rulers persecute innocent people.

### In the corpora

- [Jesus said, «Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you».](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/17-the-sermon-on-the-mount/10/)
- [And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, that persecuted thee.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/jps/DEU.841/)
- [My times are in Thy hand; deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/PSA.462/)
- [For they persecute him whom Thou hast smitten; and they tell of the pain of those whom Thou hast wounded.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/PSA.1154/)
- [When wilt Thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/PSA.2248/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «persecute» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/persecute/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.