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sap

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sap distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of sap are cripple, debilitate, disable, enfeeble, undermine, and weaken. While all these words mean "to lose or cause to lose strength or vigor," undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously.

a poor diet undermines your health
drugs had sapped his ability to think

In what contexts can cripple take the place of sap?

While the synonyms cripple and sap are close in meaning, cripple implies causing a serious loss of functioning power through damaging or removing an essential part or element.

crippled by arthritis

When can debilitate be used instead of sap?

The words debilitate and sap are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality.

the debilitating effects of surgery

When would disable be a good substitute for sap?

The words disable and sap can be used in similar contexts, but disable suggests bringing about impairment or limitation in a physical or mental ability.

disabled by an injury sustained at work

When might enfeeble be a better fit than sap?

While in some cases nearly identical to sap, enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness.

enfeebled by starvation

Where would weaken be a reasonable alternative to sap?

In some situations, the words weaken and sap are roughly equivalent. However, weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power.

a disease that weakens the body's defenses

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sap
Noun
Wait for the foliage to yellow and die back, and wear gloves; the sap can be a skin irritant. Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Mar. 2025 Sapsuckers peck a lacy pattern into the bark of certain trees, either consuming the sap that oozes out directly and/or eating the insects drawn to it. Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
Though Vancouver’s penalty killers bailed out the defence again Sunday night, all the time Vancouver spent short-handed sapped their momentum early on in the game and helped Utah build up a tremendous edge in shots and scoring chances. Thomas Drance, The Athletic, 23 Feb. 2025 And a spate of terror attacks committed by migrants have sapped public confidence in the immigration system, giving the Alternative for Germany (AfD) an opening. Ido Vock, TIME, 22 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sap
Noun
  • Alexander Smirnov was sentenced to six years in prison in January after pleading guilty to lying to his FBI handler about the Biden family's ties to a Ukrainian energy company -- in addition to a series of unrelated tax fraud charges.
    Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Wade scored 157 points over the last four games, all Heat wins, and turned in a damn-near-perfect performance in the elimination game, playing with relentless energy on both sides of the ball.
    D. Watkins, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • These stems, called suckers, are a different variety than the top growth and will have different flowers, as well as drawing energy and resources away from the main plant.
    Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 12 Apr. 2025
  • Whatever the color, your boy Ethan Hunt is gonna hang on that sucker for dear life because he’s got things to do and a world to save yet again.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Cut Stems Back Using your bypass pruners, cut live canes back to 12 inches tall.
    Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Green, who is Black, regularly uses a cane to walk around the Capitol and has done so for years.
    Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 12 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Since January the Trump administration has slashed federal funding for research projects centered on equity, health disparities and marginalized communities.
    Angel Algarin, Scientific American, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Save the Children, one of UNICEF’s major last-mile distributors, typically gives out emergency therapeutic food at clinics where mothers can also give birth and take their infants for health screenings.
    Hana Kiros, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Agreeing to a pick swap with the Lynx weakened the value of the pick that the Sky traded away.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
  • One by one, the sectors defect, and, eventually, the leader may weaken and their government may fall.
    Julia Angwin, New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Premature removal of the plant foliage reduces plant vigor and bulb size.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Habba emerged as one of Trump’s fiercest media surrogates while one of his personal attorneys, defending the then-former president with vigor both in the courtroom and on TV.
    Ella Lee, The Hill, 24 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The baton came back to him once Paramount Plus gave a green light to The Challenge: All Stars, and OGs like himself were given a second shot at glory.
    Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2025
  • The baton passes, rather frenetically, to other standout friends, too.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Getty Images That said, international and U.S. stock returns tend to ebb and flow in cycles, with each showing multi-year periods of relative strength and weakness.
    Greg Iacurci,Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Today's demonstrations show the strength of our growing movement, powered by people of all walks of life coming together to demand investments in our communities, not more cages.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sap. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

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