victims

/ˈvɪk.tɪm/ (bre, ipa) · [vˈɪktəmz] /ˈvɪk.təm/ (ame, ipa) · [vˈɪktəmz] /ˈvik-təm How to pronounce victim (audio)/ (ame, mw)

victims — noun

1. Someone who is harmed, killed, or made to suffer as a result of crime, accident,

1.名詞B1
釋義

Someone who is harmed, killed, or made to suffer as a result of crime, accident, disease, disaster, or the actions of other people.

例句

The victims of the earthquake received food and shelter from emergency workers within hours.

victims of + disaster

Tara became a victim of online fraud after clicking a fake banking link sent to her email.

victim of + crime: online fraud

同義詞
  • casualty

    more specific to accidents, wars, or disasters; often implies death or injury

  • survivor

    focuses on someone who lived through a terrible event, not the harm itself

  • sufferer

    used especially for chronic illness or long-term conditions

反義詞

用法筆記

Often followed by 'of' to specify the cause: 'victim of a crime', 'victim of an accident', 'victim of fraud'. When the cause is a person, use 'victim of + person' — for example, 'victim of a bully' or 'victim of an attacker'. Do not use 'victim' for someone who merely experiences mild inconvenience.

常見錯誤

❌I was a victim of the traffic this morning.
✅I was stuck in traffic this morning.
💡'Victim' is for serious harm or suffering, not ordinary delays.
❌He is a victim of his own laziness.
✅His laziness caused his own problems.
💡Avoid using 'victim of + personal fault' as it sounds melodramatic.

2. Used in the phrase 'fall victim to' when someone or something is harmed, ruined,

2.名詞B2
釋義

Used in the phrase 'fall victim to' when someone or something is harmed, ruined, or destroyed by a disease, disaster, crime, or difficult circumstances.

例句

Several historic buildings fell victim to the wildfire that swept through the town last summer.

fall victim to + disaster: wildfire

Without proper cybersecurity training, small businesses often fall victim to phishing scams.

fall victim to + scam

同義詞
  • succumb to

    more formal; suggests someone was overcome by something

  • be struck down by

    more dramatic; used especially for illness or disasters

文法句型

fall victim to + noun phrase

用法筆記

Always used in the fixed form 'fall victim to', where 'fall' is the verb and 'victim' does not take an article. The past tense is 'fell victim to'. Compare 'become a victim of' (sense 1), which uses an article and describes a state rather than an event.

常見錯誤

❌He fell a victim to the scam.
✅He fell victim to the scam.
💡No article 'a' between 'fell' and 'victim' in this fixed expression.