"crucifying" in the verb sense
1. crucify
kill by nailing onto a cross
"Jesus Christ was crucified"
2. torment, rag, bedevil, crucify, dun, frustrate
treat cruelly
"The children tormented the stuttering teacher"
3. mortify, subdue, crucify
hold within limits and control
"subdue one's appetites"
"mortify the flesh"
4. savage, blast, pillory, crucify
criticize harshly or violently
"The press savaged the new President"
"The critics crucified the author for plagiarizing a famous passage"
Source: WordNet® (An amazing lexical database of English)
Princeton University "About WordNet®."
WordNet®. Princeton University. 2010.
View WordNet® License