variants also kaputt
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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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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 kaput Gunn tells Deadline, that The Authority is not kaput. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 27 Sep. 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kaput
Adjective
  • The two will talk about the (now doomed) New York Mets, what’s new at home with Mom, the pets.
    Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Norton, who also serves as an executive producer through his company Rabbit Track Pictures, brings intensity to the role of the doomed English king, while Coster-Waldau delivers a commanding performance as the Norman duke who would reshape English history.
    Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The Navy said Dry Dock 3 lacks the size and floor strength to support Virginia-class submarines and will become functionally obsolete as older Los Angeles-class attack submarines retire.
    Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
  • The Bears currently play at the obsolete Soldier Field, which was last renovated more than 20 years ago.
    Michael Ozanian, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Another set piece involving a malfunctioning chair lift is excruciatingly tense.
    Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • As a result, the timeline for Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis — archaic humans who disappeared from Europe and Central Asia around 40,000 years ago and are known to have lived alongside the Denisovans — has also been shifted.
    Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
  • As One of Us gleefully samples multiple registers—comic, tragic, satiric, elegiac, poetic—its mesh of archaic and contemporary styles becomes something quite arresting, a joy to read … Chaon’s beautiful novel insists on answers.
    Book Marks September 26, Literary Hub, 26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Barring any ties, there will be eight artists or tracks nominated in each of these four divisions (versus five for all the down-ballot categories).
    Chris Willman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
  • But now, resort taxes are down while national hotel revenues rise, and violent crime is up as Miami sees declines.
    Miami Herald staff, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Ingram’s best season came in 2023-24 for the now-defunct Arizona Coyotes.
    Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Applegreen, an Irish company at the center of a now-defunct deal to redevelop travel plazas along state highways, shelled out tens of thousands of dollars between 2024 and 2025 to a powerful Beacon Hill lobbying shop, according to a state database last updated June 30.
    Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Of those who reported incidents, none saw a low voltage battery warning before the exterior door handles became inoperative.
    Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2025
  • But the speed came from all three levels of Green Bay’s defense, rendering Washington’s offense almost inoperative.
    Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Kaput.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kaput. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.

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