persecute

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: per=se=cute
• COUNT in NET: 13 in 13 verses (in OT : 4 in 4 verses) (in NT : 9 in 9 verses)

CIDE DICTIONARY

persecute, v. t. [F. persécueter, L. persequi, persecutus, to pursue, prosecute; per + sequi to follow, pursue. See Per-, and Second.].

•  To pursue in a manner to injure, grieve, or afflict; to beset with cruelty or malignity; to harass; especially, to afflict, harass, punish, or put to death, for adherence to a particular religious creed or mode of worship.  [1913 Webster]

  "Do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."  [1913 Webster]
•  To harass with importunity; to pursue with persistent solicitations; to annoy.  Johnson.  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- To oppress; harass; distress; worry; annoy.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

persecute, v.tr.
1 subject (a person etc.) to hostility or ill-treatment, esp. on the grounds of political or religious belief.
2 harass; worry.
3 (often foll. by with) bombard (a person) with questions etc.

Derivative

persecutor n. persecutory adj.

Etymology

ME f. OF persecuter back-form. f. persecuteur persecutor f. LL persecutor f. L persequi (as PER-, sequi secut- follow, pursue)

THESAURUS

persecute

abuse, afflict, aggravate, aggrieve, annoy, badger, bait, be at, bedevil, befoul, beset, bewitch, blight, bother, bristle, brown off, bug, bully, bullyrag, burn up, chivy, condemn, corrupt, crucify, curse, damage, defile, deprave, despoil, destroy, devil, disadvantage, discompose, disserve, distemper, distress, disturb, do a mischief, do evil, do ill, do wrong, do wrong by, dog, doom, dragoon, envenom, exasperate, exercise, fash, fret, get, get into trouble, gripe, harass, harm, harry, haunt, heckle, hector, hex, hound, hunt, hurt, ill-treat, impair, importune, infect, injure, irk, irritate, jinx, maltreat, martyr, menace, miff, mistreat, molest, nag, needle, nettle, nudzh, oppress, outrage, peeve, pester, pick on, pique, plague, play havoc with, play hob with, pluck the beard, poison, pollute, pother, prejudice, provoke, punish, pursue, rack, ride, rile, roil, ruffle, savage, scathe, subjugate, suppress, taint, tease, threaten, torment, torture, trouble, try the patience, tweak the nose, tyrannize, vex, victimize, violate, worry, wound, wreak havoc on, wrong

ROGET THESAURUS

persecute

Badness

VB be hurtful, cause evil, produce evil, inflict evil, work evil, do evil, damnify, endamage, hurt, harm, injure, pain, wrong, aggrieve, oppress, persecute, trample upon, tread upon, bear hard upon, put upon, overburden, weigh down, weigh heavy on, victimize, run down, molest, maltreat, abuse, ill-use, ill-treat, buffet, bruise, scratch, maul, smite, do violence, do harm, do a mischief, stab, pierce, outrage, do mischief, make mischief, bring into trouble, destroy.

Painfulness

VB cause pain, occasion pain, give pain, bring pain, induce pain, produce pain, create pain, inflict pain, pain, hurt, wound, pinch, prick, gripe, pierce, lancinate, cut, hurt the feelings, wound the feelings, grate upon the feelings, grate upon the nerves, jar upon the feelings, wring the heart, pierce the heart, lacerate the heart, break the heart, rend the heart, make the heart bleed, tear the heart strings, rend the heart strings, draw tears from the eyes, sadden, make unhappy, plunge into sorrow, grieve, fash, afflict, distress, cut up, cut to the heart, displease, annoy, incommode, discompose, trouble, disquiet, faze, feaze, feeze, disturb, cross, perplex, molest, tease, tire, irk, vex, mortify, wherret, worry, plague, bother, pester, bore, pother, harass, harry, badger, heckle, bait, beset, infest, persecute, importune, wring, harrow, torment, torture, bullyrag, put to the rack, put to the question, break on the wheel, rack, scarify, cruciate, crucify, convulse, agonize, barb the dart, plant a dagger in the breast, plant a thorn in one's side, irritate, provoke, sting, nettle, try the patience, pique, fret, rile, tweak the nose, chafe, gall, sting to the quick, wound to the quick, cut to the quick, aggrieve, affront, enchafe, enrage, ruffle, sour the temper, give offense, maltreat, bite, snap at, assail, smite, sicken, disgust, revolt, nauseate, disenchant, repel, offend, shock, stink in the nostrils, go against the stomach, turn the stomach, make one sick, set the teeth on edge, go against the grain, grate on the ear, stick in one's throat, stick in one's gizzard, rankle, gnaw, corrode, horrify, appal, appall, freeze the blood, make the flesh creep, make the hair stand on end, make the blood curdle, make the blood run cold, make one shudder, haunt the memory, weigh on the heart, prey on the heart, weigh on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, prey on the spirits, bring one's gray hairs with sorrow to the grave, add a nail to one's coffin.

Malevolence

VB be malevolent, bear spleen, harbor spleen, bear a grudge, harbor a grudge, bear malice, betray the cloven foot, show the cloven foot, hurt, annoy, injure, harm, wrong, do harm to, do an ill office to, outrage, disoblige, malign, plant a thorn in the breast, molest, worry, harass, haunt, harry, bait, tease, throw stones at, play the devil with, hunt down, dragoon, hound, persecute, oppress, grind, maltreat, illtreat, ill-use, wreak one's malice on, do one's worst, break a butterfly on the wheel, dip one's hands in blood, imbrue one's hands in blood, have no mercy.