Definition of weaken
weakened
;weakening
play \ˈwēk-niŋ, ˈwē-kə-\transitive verb
1 : to make weak : lessen the strength of
2 : to reduce in intensity or effectiveness
intransitive verb
: to become weak
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Examples of weaken in a Sentence
The disease weakens the immune system.
Some are concerned that the increase in taxes will weaken the economy.
The beams had been weakened by water damage.
efforts to weaken environmental laws
The recent setbacks have not weakened our resolve.
These kinds of contradictions weaken your argument.
The disease causes the immune system to weaken.
The dollar has continued to weaken against the euro.
Lower interest rates have weakened the dollar.
Recent Examples of weaken from the Web
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Tokyo’s Nikkei benchmark index finished above the 20,000 level for the first time since December 2015 as the yen weakened.
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Executives at the two biggest U.S. banks signaled Wednesday that second-quarter trading is weakening, bringing to a halt a string of strong quarters that have boosted bank results.
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The reduction in refugee arrivals has forced staff cuts at some of the state's refugee resettlement agencies and weakened an infrastructure that has taken decades to build.
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During last week’s G-7 summit, foreign leaders encouraged Trump to keep his country in the pact, arguing that without the U.S. the agreement would be weakened.
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The treatments weakened his body, relegating him to backup duty this season.
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Critics worry the proposal weakens limits in place since 1995, which only allow the board to seek edits to textbooks for factual errors or to better align with Texas curriculum.
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Genzyme Corp. started the trend in 1991 by charging $150,000 for a year’s supply of a drug for treating Gaucher disease, an ailment that weakens bones and internal organs.
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Chinese families and companies might start smuggling more money out of the country, further weakening the financial system.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'weaken'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
1530
First Known Use of weaken
1530
Synonym Discussion of weaken
WEAKEN Defined for English Language Learners
weaken
playDefinition of weaken for English Language Learners
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: to make (something or someone) weaker, less forceful, less effective, etc.
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: to become weaker, less forceful, less effective, etc.
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of money : to decrease in value when compared to money from other countries
WEAKEN Defined for Kids
weaken
playDefinition of weaken for Students
weakened
;weakening
: to make or become weak or weaker … he didn't want to weaken his message by varying it one bit. — E. L. Konigsburg, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Learn More about weaken
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See words that rhyme with weaken Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for weaken Spanish Central: Translation of weaken Nglish: Translation of weaken for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of weaken for Arabic speakers
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