cannibalize

verb

can·​ni·​bal·​ize ˈka-nə-bə-ˌlīz 

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

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 system as the companion to a normal star, which they are cannibalizing.

—John Noble Wilford

intransitive verb

1

: to practice cannibalism

2

: to cannibalize one unit for the sake of another of the same kind

cannibalization

ˌka-nə-bə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Did you know?

During World War II, military personnel often used salvageable parts from disabled vehicles and aircraft to repair other vehicles and aircraft. This sacrifice of one thing for the sake of another of its kind must have reminded some folks of cannibalism by humans and animals because the process came to be known as cannibalizing. The armed forces of this time were also known to cannibalize—that is, to take away personnel from—units to build up other units. It didn't take long for this military slang to become civilianized. Since its demobilization, the term has been used in a variety of contexts.

Examples of cannibalize in a Sentence

He cannibalized one washing machine to fix another.

Many parts of the engine were cannibalized from older cars.

Recent Examples on the Web

Analysts at the bank said the company’s expansion into third-party distribution could cannibalize its own retail business. — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 8 July 2026

The brands gaining ground today are the ones learning to operate across DTC, marketplace, and physical retail simultaneously, with each channel reinforcing the others rather than cannibalizing them. — Esha Chhabra, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

By 1816, gun manufacturer Simeon North’s milling machines were producing interchangeable metal parts, allowing the armed forces to cannibalize parts. — Guru Madhavan, IEEE Spectrum, 29 June 2026

But on top of that, many series decide to submit only one episode per category to keep from cannibalizing their own vote totals. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 20 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for cannibalize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

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Kids Definition

cannibalize

verb

can·​ni·​bal·​ize ˈkan-ə-bə-ˌlīz 

cannibalized; cannibalizing

: to take apart a machine for parts to be used as replacements in other machines