incapacitate
verb
in·ca·pac·i·tate
ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt 
incapacitated; incapacitating
1
: to deprive of capacity or natural power : disable
an injury that incapacitated her
learned how to incapacitate an attacker
2
: to make legally incapable or ineligible
Infancy does not incapacitate the infant from bringing the action …—
Henry v. City of New York, 724 N.E.2d 372 (1999)
Henry v. City of New York, 724 N.E.2d 372 (1999)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
For over a minute and a half, Edgar Frayre and Nicolas Young repeatedly stabbed Mendoza in the torso, back and eyes until he was incapacitated, according to video footage of the attack reviewed by The Sacramento Bee.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 6 Dec. 2025
Mom Rosa was being treated for a brain tumor and his father, Douglas, had been incapacitated by a stroke.
—Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
The match lasted more than 30 minutes and featured a chaotic finish where Sky jumped from the top of the cage with a trash can over her head to incapacitate the field.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
The only way to repair the rift and deal with the incapacitating grief is through art.
—James Shapiro, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
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William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 6 Dec. 2025
Mom Rosa was being treated for a brain tumor and his father, Douglas, had been incapacitated by a stroke.
—Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
The match lasted more than 30 minutes and featured a chaotic finish where Sky jumped from the top of the cage with a trash can over her head to incapacitate the field.
—Andrew Ravens, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
The only way to repair the rift and deal with the incapacitating grief is through art.
—James Shapiro, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incapacitate. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incapacitate
verb
in·ca·pac·i·tate
ˌin-kə-ˈpas-ə-ˌtāt
incapacitated; incapacitating
: to make incapable : disable
Legal Definition
incapacitate
transitive verb
in·ca·pac·i·tate
ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt
incapacitated; incapacitating
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)
Landmark Med. Ctr. v. Gauthier, 635 A.2d 1145 (1994)2
: to deprive of capacity or natural power
an injury that incapacitates the employee
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