incapacitate

verb

in·​ca·​pac·​i·​tate ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt How to pronounce incapacitate (audio)
incapacitated; incapacitating

transitive verb

1
: to deprive of capacity or natural power : disable
2
: to make legally incapable or ineligible
incapacitation noun

Examples of incapacitate in a Sentence

The class teaches you how to incapacitate an attacker. The stroke left her completely incapacitated. He was incapacitated by the pain. a computer system incapacitated by software problems
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the meantime, he’s incapacitated, which means that — per Monty’s will — Tommy is president of MTex, as well as the head of Monty’s estate and his family trust. Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 12 Jan. 2025 Hezbollah has been decapitated, its top echelons wiped out, and thousands of its fighters are incapacitated or dead. Noah Rothman, National Review, 8 Jan. 2025 But while the official version speaks of a very hungover (and even feverish) Lou Reed being thoroughly incapacitated after having returned to the hotel at an ungodly hour, some branches of the legend claim label representatives actually lost him, and that for a while he was thought gone forever. Ana Leorne, SPIN, 31 Dec. 2024 And where are you feeling increasingly incapacitated by the demands of work and play, or the never-ending Sisyphean tasks associated with child rearing? Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for incapacitate 

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of incapacitate was in 1657

Dictionary Entries Near incapacitate

Cite this Entry

“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incapacitate. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

incapacitate

verb
in·​ca·​pac·​i·​tate ˌin-kə-ˈpas-ə-ˌtāt How to pronounce incapacitate (audio)
incapacitated; incapacitating
: to make incapable : disable
incapacitation noun

Legal Definition

incapacitate

transitive verb
in·​ca·​pac·​i·​tate ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt How to pronounce incapacitate (audio)
incapacitated; incapacitating
1
: to make legally incapable or ineligible
mental illness alone will not incapacitate a person from making a valid contractLandmark Med. Ctr. v. Gauthier, 635 A.2d 1145 (1994)
2
: to deprive of capacity or natural power
an injury that incapacitates the employee
incapacitation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on incapacitate

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