cannibalism
noun
can·ni·bal·ism
ˈka-nə-bə-ˌli-zəm 
1
: the usually ritualistic eating of human flesh by a human being
2
: the eating of the flesh of an animal by another animal of the same kind
3
: an act of cannibalizing something
Examples of cannibalism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre did not defend the accuracy of Biden's cannibalism account when asked Thursday whether Biden embellished the story.
—
Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Two of Britain’s tabloid newspapers played a role in boosting the cannibalism claims.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
The State Department has not received any credible reports regarding cannibalism in Haiti, a spokesperson said Tuesday.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
The species is also not above cannibalism, studies show.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
Were the chickens now driven by minerals or cannibalism?
—Hazlitt, 14 Feb. 2024
Some audiences recoil reflexively at the co-opting of pop-cultural iconography, regarding it as theft at best and cannibalism at worst—never mind a symptom of creative famine.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 11 Jan. 2024
The movie focuses on the 1972 Uruguayan rugby team forced to resort to cannibalism to survive after their plane crashed in the Andes on the way to a match in Chile.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2024
Among the many events forecasted for 2023, Nostradamus (or to be more precise, Nostradamus interpreters) predicted a great war, an economy so bad that humankind might resort to cannibalism, and … something … that could happen with or on Mars.
—Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 25 Dec. 2023
Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Two of Britain’s tabloid newspapers played a role in boosting the cannibalism claims.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
The State Department has not received any credible reports regarding cannibalism in Haiti, a spokesperson said Tuesday.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 13 Mar. 2024
The species is also not above cannibalism, studies show.
—Mark Price, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
Were the chickens now driven by minerals or cannibalism?
—Hazlitt, 14 Feb. 2024
Some audiences recoil reflexively at the co-opting of pop-cultural iconography, regarding it as theft at best and cannibalism at worst—never mind a symptom of creative famine.
—John Anderson, WSJ, 11 Jan. 2024
The movie focuses on the 1972 Uruguayan rugby team forced to resort to cannibalism to survive after their plane crashed in the Andes on the way to a match in Chile.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 3 Jan. 2024
Among the many events forecasted for 2023, Nostradamus (or to be more precise, Nostradamus interpreters) predicted a great war, an economy so bad that humankind might resort to cannibalism, and … something … that could happen with or on Mars.
—Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 25 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cannibalism.' 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 cannibalism
Cite this Entry
“Cannibalism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cannibalism. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cannibalism
noun
can·ni·bal·ism
ˈkan-ə-bə-ˌliz-əm
1
: the eating of human flesh by a human being
2
: the eating of the flesh of an animal by another animal of the same kind
Medical Definition
cannibalism
noun
can·ni·bal·ism
-bə-ˌliz-əm
1
: the usually ritualistic eating of human flesh by a human being
2
: the eating of the flesh or the eggs of any animal by its own kind
3
: the pecking and tearing of the live flesh of its own members in a domestic poultry flock compare pecking order
4
: oral sadism
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