variants
also kaputt
1
as in doomed
facing certain defeat, disaster, or death
once the Germans were forced to retreat from Stalingrad, the Nazi cause was kaput
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in obsolete
having passed its time of use or usefulness
hard-line Soviet-style Communism became kaput in Russia
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in malfunctioning
not being in working order
the heating system went kaput on the coldest day of the year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of kaput
Kelly Reilly, who plays Beth Dutton, seems adamant that the OG Yellowstone is kaput.
—
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2024
Now all three of those competitors are kaput, felled by runs on deposits during the biggest banking crisis in a decade and a half.
—Rob Copeland, New York Times, 14 June 2023
The Stooges are now functionally kaput—of the original lineup, only Pop is left.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2019
At least not on Sunday afternoon, nearly a full two days after the Clippers were supposed to be done, finished, as kaput as the Kings – those in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
—Jeff Miller, Orange County Register, 29 Apr. 2017
The damages for that less-than-brilliant marketing idea could be as much as $120 million, meaning the company as a whole is pretty much financially kaput.
—Susan Arendt, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2007
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 Dec. 2024
Now all three of those competitors are kaput, felled by runs on deposits during the biggest banking crisis in a decade and a half.
—Rob Copeland, New York Times, 14 June 2023
The Stooges are now functionally kaput—of the original lineup, only Pop is left.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2019
At least not on Sunday afternoon, nearly a full two days after the Clippers were supposed to be done, finished, as kaput as the Kings – those in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
—Jeff Miller, Orange County Register, 29 Apr. 2017
The damages for that less-than-brilliant marketing idea could be as much as $120 million, meaning the company as a whole is pretty much financially kaput.
—Susan Arendt, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2007
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kaput
Adjective
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These include a Nunavut man’s firsthand account of discovering the wreck of the HMS Terror, one of British Captain John Franklin’s two doomed mid-19th-century expedition ships, which became trapped in ice before sinking off the southwest coast of King William Island.—
Robin Catalano,
AFAR Media,
15 Sep. 2025
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Her mother, Colette Watson, was a flight attendant on the doomed Eastern plane, but walked away from the crash nearly unharmed.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Take-home tests and essays are becoming obsolete.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
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By learning from these craftspeople, AIs can now replace them in offering advice, thus threatening to render the original human experts obsolete.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Another set piece involving a malfunctioning chair lift is excruciatingly tense.—
Emily Palmer Heller,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Logging later resumed under an archaic mandate and approval processes that a past Cal Fire director and others say still violates key laws such as CEQA and works at cross purposes to the missions of other agencies.—
John P. O’Brien,
Mercury News,
13 Sep. 2025
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But Vermont, unfortunately, has a lot of archaic politics that allow a lot of abuse of wildlife.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Her blonde hair was also styled in a down hairdo with a hint of texture that gave a cool, effortless look.—
Michelle Lee,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
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In timber stands, larger dead and down material continues to burn and produce smoke.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Owner Jason Boso fixed that, infusing $2 million into the 10-year-old bar on better bathrooms, a covered section of the patio and a re-done kitchen.—
Sarah Blaskovich,
Dallas News,
3 Apr. 2023
Adjective
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The now-defunct chatroom was then shut down sometime prior to the Perry High School shooting.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Sep. 2025
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Some residents have called for the defunct Shelby Park branch — a former Carnegie library — to reopen in its former home on the grounds of Shelby Park on east Oak Street.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The systems could have electrical compressor failure, which can cause the defroster or defogger to be inoperative, increasing the risk of a crash, the recall notice said.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Also inoperative the morning of the crash were the runway alignment indicator lights, which had not worked for more than three years.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kaput.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kaput. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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