as in to use
to remove parts from a machine, car, etc., to repair or build another one
He cannibalized one washing machine to fix another. Many parts of the engine were cannibalized from older cars.
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Recent Examples of cannibalize
Downtown’s office market is essentially cannibalizing itself to survive.
—
Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 29 May 2025
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania saw a record-breaking $5.7 billion in total gaming revenue in 2024 — a clear sign that digital gaming expands the market, not cannibalizes it.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2025
Some analysts worry that the ad tier might cannibalize higher-paying subscribers, dragging down margins.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 6 June 2025
Strategy was deprioritized or cannibalized within bloated portfolios.
—Sindhya Valloppillil, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cannibalize
Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 29 May 2025
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania saw a record-breaking $5.7 billion in total gaming revenue in 2024 — a clear sign that digital gaming expands the market, not cannibalizes it.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2025
Some analysts worry that the ad tier might cannibalize higher-paying subscribers, dragging down margins.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 6 June 2025
Strategy was deprioritized or cannibalized within bloated portfolios.
—Sindhya Valloppillil, Forbes.com, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cannibalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cannibalize
Verb
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The treatment had never been used on a species of raptor before, but Ammann took a leap and sent them an email.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
6 July 2025
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When his young son Walter (Roman Griffin Davis) and Walter’s cat upend the performance with their unruly behavior, Charles’s wife, Catherine (Thurman), persuades Charles not to punish the kid but instead to use the opportunity to teach him about Jesus (Isaac).—
Chris DeVille,
The Atlantic,
6 July 2025
Verb
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Yet much of the infrastructure from which these magnets would be recycled is also in China.—
Saleem H. Ali,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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Courtesy of Fairphone Fairphone says the new device is made with more than 50 percent fair and recycled materials, including cobalt sourced through the Fair Cobalt Alliance, fair gold, silver, and tungsten, and recycled aluminum and rare earth metals.—
Julian Chokkattu,
Wired News,
28 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cannibalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cannibalize. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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