incapacitate
verb
in·ca·pac·i·tate
ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt 
incapacitated; incapacitating
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
He is accused of slipping incapacitating drugs into victims’ food or drinks before assaulting them between 2021 and 2024.
—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
In still other situations, lapses in common knowledge can incapacitate people who really, really need to work together.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
One caller said a delta-8 gummy incapacitated their adult son for several hours.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Lorenzo confronts and incapacitates Pepe, Sonia’s main ally, before facing Sonia herself.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
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Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
In still other situations, lapses in common knowledge can incapacitate people who really, really need to work together.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
One caller said a delta-8 gummy incapacitated their adult son for several hours.
—Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Lorenzo confronts and incapacitates Pepe, Sonia’s main ally, before facing Sonia herself.
—Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 24 Sep. 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 23 Oct. 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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