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
Bone collectors will target and kill weakened or slow-moving insects, even hunting and cannibalizing their own kind.
—
Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 24 Apr. 2025
Tourists flocked to the new service that cannibalized the city’s maritime sightseeing industry.
—Tom Fox, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
The good news is that the mechanicals are robust, and those parts are plentiful, so apart from rust and the challenge of obtaining trim and pieces unique to the model (serious enthusiasts may want to buy a second Scorpion to cannibalize), these are really delightful cars.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2025
While many tech giants have risen and fallen — from Digital Equipment Corporation to Yahoo to BlackBerry — Microsoft has navigated multiple technological revolutions by making strategic pivots and occasionally cannibalizing its own successful products.
—Jackie Snow, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cannibalize
Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 24 Apr. 2025
Tourists flocked to the new service that cannibalized the city’s maritime sightseeing industry.
—Tom Fox, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025
The good news is that the mechanicals are robust, and those parts are plentiful, so apart from rust and the challenge of obtaining trim and pieces unique to the model (serious enthusiasts may want to buy a second Scorpion to cannibalize), these are really delightful cars.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 4 Apr. 2025
While many tech giants have risen and fallen — from Digital Equipment Corporation to Yahoo to BlackBerry — Microsoft has navigated multiple technological revolutions by making strategic pivots and occasionally cannibalizing its own successful products.
—Jackie Snow, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cannibalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cannibalize
Verb
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Berry was 14 when a classmate used an AI app to attach a nude body to an Instagram photo of her face, before circulating it on social media.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
20 May 2025
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Educators will have canoes and kayaks, paddles and life jackets to use and will offer instruction.—
Flip Putthoff,
Arkansas Online,
20 May 2025
Verb
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Single-use plastics are a type of plastic that is used once before being thrown away or recycled, such as soda bottles, straws and coffee stirrers, according to Plastic Free Challenge.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
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In Arizona and Nevada, efforts to recycle photovoltaic panels are also growing.—
Bill Frist,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cannibalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cannibalize. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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