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weap·on·ize | \ ˈwe-pə-ˌnīz 
\
\weaponized; weaponizing
Definition of weaponize
: to adapt for use as a weapon of war
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Other Words from weaponize
weaponization \ ˌwe-pə-nə-ˈzā-shən \ noun
\ nounExamples of weaponize in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web The president is abusing the powers of the presidency and weaponizing government to attack his political opponents.
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BostonGlobe.com, "WASHINGTON — The Trump administration, pressing the president’s complaints about homelessness in California, demanded on Thursday that the state improve the way it deals with human waste, arsenic, and lead in water as it escalated the administration’s war with the country’s most populous state.," 27 Sep. 2019 The president is abusing the powers of the presidency and weaponizing government to attack his political opponents.
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Lisa Friedman, New York Times, "E.P.A. Accuses California of ‘Significant’ Air and Water Problems," 26 Sep. 2019 Analysts were mixed, though, on whether the move was a result of China weaponizing the yuan or merely a reflection of its own slowing economy and the painful effects of tariffs.
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Damian Troise, The Denver Post, "Stocks plunge on Wall Street as U.S.-China trade war escalates," 5 Aug. 2019 Analysts were mixed, though, on whether the move was a result of China weaponizing the yuan or merely a reflection of its own slowing economy and the painful effects of tariffs.
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Anchorage Daily News, "Stocks around the world slide as US-China trade war deepens," 5 Aug. 2019 Analysts were mixed, though, on whether the move was a result of China weaponizing the yuan or merely a reflection of that nation’s own slowing economy and the painful effects of tariffs.
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San Diego Union-Tribune, "Stocks tumble as U.S.-China trade war escalates; S&P 500 drops 3%," 5 Aug. 2019 When the world’s safety is threatened by a ludicrously dangerous weaponized virus at the beginning of Hobbs & Shaw, the CIA and MI6 call on these two frenemies to join forces with Shaw’s security agent sister Hattie (Vanessa Kirby) and save the day.
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Eliana Dockterman, Time, "What the Hobbs & Shaw Post-Credits Scenes Mean for the Fast & Furious Franchise," 2 Aug. 2019 The digital vigilante operates in a nearly lawless space, weaponizing a crucial online commodity: information.
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Hanna Kozlowska, Quartz, "There’s a global movement of Facebook vigilantes who hunt pedophiles," 24 July 2019 If it were weaponized, the results could be catastrophic.
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Ana Santos Rutschman, The Conversation, "Salad bars and water systems are easy targets for bioterrorists – and America’s monitoring system is woefully inadequate," 7 Nov. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'weaponize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for weaponize
The first known use of weaponize was in 1957
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