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

The same capabilities that help companies find and fix security flaws can just as easily be weaponized by attackers to discover and exploit the vulnerabilities before defenders can find them. —Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026

Iran has offered to place checks on its nuclear program to ensure that it isn’t weaponized, demanding the lifting of sanctions in return. —Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026

Like the pharaohs and emperors of antiquity, the president weaponizes the past to justify his present actions and future plans, omitting and embellishing events of yesteryear to fit a bellicose agenda. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

Molly Fischer reports » More Top Stories Russia has weaponized the most frigid winter in more than a decade against Ukraine’s vulnerable power grid. —Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for weaponize

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