1
as in to paralyze
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
the malfunctioning of a single component can incapacitate the engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cripple
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the stroke left her completely incapacitated
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incapacitate
Friday’s earthquake has incapacitated the nation’s essential services and made critical stretches of its roads impassable.
—
Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2025
Surveillance footage from inside the post office shows the victim, clearly incapacitated, being supported by colleagues Kirt Alcala, 38, Edward Chou, 40, and Daniel Jean, 38.
—Elizabeth Keogh, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025
At least two were incapacitated and unable to react at the start of the 4 a.m. home invasion stabbings, according to court documents.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2025
This blitzkrieg-style defense is often enough to scare off even large predators, as a single envenomation can incapacitate within minutes.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2025
Surveillance footage from inside the post office shows the victim, clearly incapacitated, being supported by colleagues Kirt Alcala, 38, Edward Chou, 40, and Daniel Jean, 38.
—Elizabeth Keogh, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025
At least two were incapacitated and unable to react at the start of the 4 a.m. home invasion stabbings, according to court documents.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2025
This blitzkrieg-style defense is often enough to scare off even large predators, as a single envenomation can incapacitate within minutes.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitate
Verb
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He was paralyzed as a result of the shooting and died three months later.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2025
-
The disturbing event all but paralyzes Kyle on the couch as the viral loathing continues.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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About six weeks ago, hackers crippled the computer systems of the TV and mobile phone provider Dish Network.—
Shira Ovide,
Washington Post,
4 Apr. 2023
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Oakland Mills Coach: Chris Brewington Last season: Class 2A state champion Outlook: Losing the talent Oakland Mills did from last year’s outdoor season would cripple most programs, but the Scorpions have reloaded.—
Anthony Maluso,
Baltimore Sun,
22 Mar. 2023
Verb
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The site goes on to advance the theory that COVID-19 originated in a Wuhan lab and undermines Trump’s political rivals like Joe Biden and Andrew Cuomo.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
18 Apr. 2025
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Critics are concerned Trump's latest move could allow the administration to purge nonpartisan career officials and replace them with political loyalists, undermining the independence of the federal workforce.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The spill killed 11 people and injured 17 others as 210 million gallons of crude oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico (recently renamed by the U.S. government as Gulf of America) for a total of 87 days.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
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Memorial at Florida State University after a fatal shooting killed two people and injured several others.—
Kati Weis,
CBS News,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Over the course of just two days in February, 21 children were reported killed and 29 children maimed by shelling in Kadugli, South Kordofan State.—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
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Higher speeds are more likely to kill or maim people, especially in crashes that involve pedestrians or cyclists.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacramento Bee,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In 2013, three people were killed and hundreds were wounded during the Boston Marathon bombings, when two men detonated homemade bombs at the race's finish line.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr.,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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Madrid, whose calendar is now rather less full, have wounded egos to repair.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The day he was inaugurated, Trump disabled the CBP One mobile app that the Biden administration had utilized since 2023 to create a more orderly process of applying for asylum from the U.S.-Mexico border.—
Rebecca Plevin,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
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Synology's firmware, as of this writing, allows for a configuration file edit that can disable checks for certified drives.—
Kevin Purdy,
ArsTechnica,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Renee Moore worked near the building and relied on its daycare for her 6-month-old son Antonio Cooper Jr., who was among those killed.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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Alhadeff's sister, 14-year-old Alyssa, was one of the 17 people killed in the 2018 Parkland high school massacre in South Florida.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitate. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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