incapacitate

verb

in·ca·pac·i·tate | \ ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt

incapacitated; incapacitating

Definition of incapacitate

transitive verb

1 : to make legally incapable or ineligible

2 : to deprive of capacity or natural power : disable

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Examples of incapacitate in a Sentence

The class teaches you how to incapacitate an attacker. The stroke left her completely incapacitated. He was incapacitated by the pain. a computer system incapacitated by software problems

Recent Examples on the Web

During the incident, I was incapacitated without my consent and unable to fight off the boys raping me. — Jennifer Earl, Fox News, "Kavanaugh calls Swetnick's 'gang rape' allegations a 'farce' during emotional Senate testimony," 27 Sep. 2018 With his exact condition and whereabouts unknown, rumors had swirled that he was incapacitated or dead. — Joe Parkinson, WSJ, "Nigeria Gripped by Whether President Is a Clone. ‘It’s the Real Me, I Assure You.’," 10 Dec. 2018 Libyan outlets followed with thinly sourced reports saying he was incapacitated or dead. — Declan Walsh, New York Times, "A Libyan Strongman Returns Home and Asserts That He’s Fit," 27 Apr. 2018 As is the case with a medical power of attorney, durable power of attorney would come into play if a young adult child was incapacitated. — Cathy Cunningham, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Have a kid entering college? Brush up on the law," 30 May 2018 The stepdaughter, Karen Navarra, was found dead in her house on Thursday, September 13, from multiple deep and instantly incapacitating skull wounds likely inflicted using a small hatchet or axe, according to a police report and autopsy. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Fitbit data used to charge 90-year-old man in gruesome hacking murder case," 5 Oct. 2018 These often include: Durable financial power of attorney: Determines who has authority to make financial decisions on your behalf if you're incapacitated. — Patrick W. Schmitt, Country Living, "Everything Baby Boomers Need to Know About Estate Planning," 17 Aug. 2018 The incident took place in the evening of March 10, 2004, according to Comey's account, with then-Attorney General John Ashcroft ill and incapacitated in a hospital intensive care unit. — Gregory Krieg, CNN, "Who is James Comey? 7 things to know about the fired FBI director," 25 Apr. 2018 But D’Ortenzio and her colleagues say the concentrations in Goodsir’s hair and the bones of the Beechey Island men probably wouldn’t have been enough to incapacitate the crews. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "Strands of hair shed light on doomed 19th-century Arctic expedition," 30 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'incapacitate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

9 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for incapacitate

The first known use of incapacitate was in 1657

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More Definitions for incapacitate

incapacitate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of incapacitate

: to make (someone or something) unable to work, move, or function in the usual way

See the full definition for incapacitate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

incapacitate

transitive verb

in·ca·pac·i·tate | \ ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt

incapacitated; incapacitating

Legal Definition of incapacitate

1 : to make legally incapable or ineligible mental illness alone will not incapacitate a person from making a valid contract — Landmark Med. Ctr. v. Gauthier, 635 A.2d 1145 (1994)

2 : to deprive of capacity or natural power an injury that incapacitates the employee