weaponize
verb
weap·on·ize
ˈwe-pə-ˌnīz 
weaponized; weaponizing
: 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
Justin ChangExamples of weaponize in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even as Newsom and his press team ramp up their anti-Trump messaging, there are plenty of photos of Newsom and Trump shaking hands or hugging, images that Democratic primary rivals could weaponize.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 15 Nov. 2025
Starvation has been weaponized as a tool of social control, amounting to a war crime under international law.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2025
In the end, her legal pursuit is about love, legacy and the refusal to let grief be weaponized.
—Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025
Green shows how federal strategy has weaponized this distrust by building on a feeling, already possessed by much of the public, that universities are not public partners but misbehaving contractors.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for weaponize
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Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 15 Nov. 2025
Starvation has been weaponized as a tool of social control, amounting to a war crime under international law.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 12 Nov. 2025
In the end, her legal pursuit is about love, legacy and the refusal to let grief be weaponized.
—Danielle Bacher, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025
Green shows how federal strategy has weaponized this distrust by building on a feeling, already possessed by much of the public, that universities are not public partners but misbehaving contractors.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for weaponize
Cite this Entry
“Weaponize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/weaponize. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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