defang

verb

de·​fang (ˌ)dē-ˈfaŋ 

defanged; defanging; defangs

transitive verb

: to make harmless or less powerful

Examples of defang in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Pugh, also a series executive producer, found the humanity inside of Cathy, says Kazan, without defanging one of literature’s most complicated psyches. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 18 Aug. 2026

Hamas and Hezbollah remain stubbornly in place, with the latter maintaining its lethality, even as Iraqi militias — defying Baghdad’s attempts at defanging them — have launched attacks on America’s Persian Gulf allies. — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

After Japan’s defeat in WWII, there was a deliberate effort to democratize the nation and defang its intelligence community. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 31 July 2026

So just a short while ago, Anthropic came out with Fable, or basically, Mythos defanged. — John Werner, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for defang

• harangue
• orang
• bang
• chuang
• clang
• dang
• drang
• fang
• gang
• gangue
• hang
• hange