weaponize

verb

weap·​on·​ize ˈwe-pə-ˌnīz 

weaponized; weaponizing

transitive verb

: to adapt for use as a weapon of war

—often used figuratively

… the ways people weaponize fear in order to hide their own.

—Justin Chang

weaponization

ˌwe-pə-nə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Examples of weaponize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And despite claiming to be the one and only democracy in the Middle East, the Israeli government has weaponized anti-Semitism to defend its crimes against the Palestinian people and quell any resistance or critique against it. — CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026

The concentration of this refined material in China gives Beijing ever-greater market power and the ability to weaponize it. — Tom Moerenhout, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2026

Ocarina of Time weaponizes nostalgia even within its narrative, as the protagonist Link ventures to save his post-apocalyptic world as an adult after first working through it as a kid. — James Perkins Mastromarino, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026

Ramaswamy quickly faced bipartisan rebuke for weaponizing the mother, who has a questionable record of her own, against his opponent. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 30 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1938, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for weaponize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies