Synonyms of cannibalize

cannibalize

verb

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.

Related Words

• use
• recycle
• utilize
• employ
• operate
• exploit
• reuse
• harness
• apply
• manipulate
• exercise
• handle
• work
• wield
• direct
• run

Dissimilar Words

• dump
• ignore
• chuck
• toss
• throw away
• throw out
• neglect
• junk
• misuse
• misapply

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of cannibalize

By 1816, gun manufacturer Simeon North’s milling machines were producing interchangeable metal parts, allowing the armed forces to cannibalize parts. — Guru Madhavan, IEEE Spectrum, 29 June 2026

But on top of that, many series decide to submit only one episode per category to keep from cannibalizing their own vote totals. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 20 June 2026

That Montreal had so much firepower at the top of the lineup, led by 2025 MVP Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey and Abby Roque, likely cannibalized some of Desbiens’ MVP case. — Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 16 June 2026

Whether there’s enough demand to soak up this flood of new equity without cannibalizing the tech giants that have been leading the market higher for years is an active debate on Wall Street at the moment. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 June 2026

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