victim

Everyday

1. A person or animal that is hurt, killed or harmed by someone else, an accident or an illness: a victim of a crime. tree →
2. Someone who is tricked or cheated: a victim of a scam. tree →
3. Someone who suffers because of something they did not choose: flood victims. tree →

In the lessons

In safety lessons it teaches that anyone can be a victim of bullying, scams or accidents, and that it is never the victim's fault; you should tell a trusted adult. In news and stories it names the person something bad happened to. Phrases: fall victim to, a victim of, flood victims, play the victim (pretend to be treated badly).

Examples

• The victim of the robbery called the police. tree →
• Many people fell victim to the fake prize email. tree →
• Volunteers brought food to the flood victims. tree →
• If you are the victim of bullying, tell a teacher. tree →
• The fox's victims were three hens. tree →
• He always plays the victim when he loses a game. tree →
• The police helped the victims of the crash. tree →
• He bent his shaggy brows upon the poor Athenian victims. tree →

Note

Countable: a victim, victims. "Fall victim to" means become a victim of. Being a victim is not the person's fault. Opposite roles in a crime story: the victim and the culprit (or attacker). In maths word problems it rarely matters for numbers.