mutilate
verb
mu·ti·late
ˈmyü-tə-ˌlāt 
mutilated; mutilating; mutilates
1
: to cut up or alter radically so as to make imperfect
The child mutilated the book with his scissors.
a painting mutilated by vandals
2
: to cut off or cause severe damage to a limb or essential part of
His arm was mutilated in the accident.
Examples of mutilate in a Sentence
a painting mutilated by vandals
was lucky not to be mutilated in the car crash
Recent Examples on the Web
Will this time finally be the charm? Copper thieves strike again, mutilating a 100-year-old monument in MacArthur Park.
—
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Suspect faces homicide and mutilation charges On Friday, Wisconsin authorities charged Anderson with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and arson of property other than a building.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Corpses were decapitated and mutilated, among other acts of violence documented by the United Nations.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 6 Apr. 2024
In episode seven, audiences watch Voight hunt for a kidnapper who tortured and mutilated a gay teenage boy named Noah (Bobby Hogan), who was introduced in episode six.
—Demetrius Patterson, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024
Many mutilating and distressing skin disorders such as skin cancers and deep fungal infections were also confused with leprosy by the general public.
—Robert A. Schwartz, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024
The same way that terms like woke and critical race theory (CRT) have been hijacked, morphed, and mutilated, the term DEI is experiencing a similar fate.
—Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The teen trio then stayed in the house for about half an hour, trying to make the scene seem ritualistic by placing a Bible upon Rod’ corpse, further mutilating his body, and putting a knife in Lois’s dead hand.
—Matt Thompson, SPIN, 12 Mar. 2024
Women were mutilated as they were raped, and summarily executed.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024
Suspect faces homicide and mutilation charges On Friday, Wisconsin authorities charged Anderson with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse, and arson of property other than a building.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Corpses were decapitated and mutilated, among other acts of violence documented by the United Nations.
—Greg Myre, NPR, 6 Apr. 2024
In episode seven, audiences watch Voight hunt for a kidnapper who tortured and mutilated a gay teenage boy named Noah (Bobby Hogan), who was introduced in episode six.
—Demetrius Patterson, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2024
Many mutilating and distressing skin disorders such as skin cancers and deep fungal infections were also confused with leprosy by the general public.
—Robert A. Schwartz, Discover Magazine, 18 Mar. 2024
The same way that terms like woke and critical race theory (CRT) have been hijacked, morphed, and mutilated, the term DEI is experiencing a similar fate.
—Janice Gassam Asare, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The teen trio then stayed in the house for about half an hour, trying to make the scene seem ritualistic by placing a Bible upon Rod’ corpse, further mutilating his body, and putting a knife in Lois’s dead hand.
—Matt Thompson, SPIN, 12 Mar. 2024
Women were mutilated as they were raped, and summarily executed.
—Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 26 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mutilate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mutilate
Cite this Entry
“Mutilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutilate. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mutilate
verb
mu·ti·late
ˈmyüt-ᵊl-ˌāt
mutilated; mutilating
1
: to make imperfect by cutting or altering severely : ruin
mutilate a play
2
: to cut off or destroy a necessary part (as a limb) : maim
Medical Definition
mutilate
transitive verb
mu·ti·late
ˈmyüt-ᵊl-ˌāt
mutilated; mutilating
: to cut off or cause severe damage to a limb or essential part of
mutilate a body
also
: castrate sense 1
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