Definition of cannibalize
cannibalized;
cannibalizing
transitive verb
1 a
:to take salvageable parts from (something, such as a disabled machine) for use in building or repairing another machine
b
:to make use of (a part taken from one thing) in building, repairing, or creating something else
2
:to deprive of an essential part or element in creating or sustaining another facility or enterprise
- the energy system has begun cannibalizing the economic system it is supposed to fuel
- —Barry Commoner
3
:to use or draw on material of (another writer, an earlier work, etc.)
- a biography that cannibalizes previous biographies
4
:to take (sales) away from an existing product by selling or being sold as a similar but new product usually from the same manufacturer;
also
:to affect (something, such as an existing product) adversely by cannibalizing sales
intransitive verb
1
:to practice cannibalism
2
:to cannibalize one unit for the sake of another of the same kind
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