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
Astronomers watched as jets blasting from a black hole cannibalized a blue supergiant companion star.
—
Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Apr. 2026
No small wonder that Scorcese self-cannibalized the move in several subsequent projects.
—Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
SaaS profit margins may compress and consolidation may follow, but not because AI cannibalized the industry, Kahn explains.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
Yeah, streamers have really cannibalized the romcom genre.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cannibalize
Robert Lea, Space.com, 21 Apr. 2026
No small wonder that Scorcese self-cannibalized the move in several subsequent projects.
—Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
SaaS profit margins may compress and consolidation may follow, but not because AI cannibalized the industry, Kahn explains.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
Yeah, streamers have really cannibalized the romcom genre.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cannibalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cannibalize
Verb
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Foothill’s boys used their relays to place second in the team competition.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
9 May 2026
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Vonblum says only four stops in the city qualify — and that all other stops near bus lanes are ineligible because the lanes can also be used by turning cars and by bicycles.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 May 2026
Verb
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Dramatic new video showed a massive fire that broke out Friday at a plastic recycling company in Henry County, Tennessee, prompting a shelter-in-place order and a large emergency response.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
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To address the challenge, the Fraunhofer IPA research team began developing a robotic system capable of deciding whether individual battery cells should be reused, remanufactured, or fully recycled.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cannibalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cannibalize. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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