cannibalized; cannibalizing
Definition of cannibalize
1a
: 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
5
astronomy, of a celestial object
: to incorporate mass from (a nearby object) through gravitational attraction
But some stellar black holes make themselves known because they exist in a binary systems as the companion to a normal star, which they are cannibalizing.— John Noble Wilford
1
: to practice cannibalism
2
: to cannibalize one unit for the sake of another of the same kind
Test Your Vocabulary
Eponyms: Words Named After People
-
- What is the best definition of boycott?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share cannibalize
Time Traveler for cannibalize
The first known use of cannibalize was in 1873
See more words from the same year