one who, by his death, bears witness to the truth of the gospel; one who is put to death for his religion; as, stephen was the first christian martyr.-hence, one who sacrifices his life, his station, or what is of great value to him, for the sake of principle, or to sustain a cause.-to put to death for adhering to some belief, esp. christianity; to sacrifice on account of faith or profession.-to persecute; to torment; to torture.