as in used
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 cannibalized
The flagships seek to take on an upscale aura, and position the high street brand as aspirational to fend off Chinese ultra-fast fashion players such as Shein and Temu, which have cannibalized the low-cost market.
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Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
The rise of sports gambling hasn’t cannibalized existing casino revenue.
—Ethan Hylton, IndyStar, 20 Aug. 2025
But with construction having cannibalized approximately 1,200 parking spots, residents in the neighborhoods bordering campus are worried about an influx of vehicles clogging residential streets.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Aug. 2025
Several years ago, niche review sites began to see their search clicks cannibalized by big brands generating SEO spam to take the top of the search results page.
—Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2025
Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
The rise of sports gambling hasn’t cannibalized existing casino revenue.
—Ethan Hylton, IndyStar, 20 Aug. 2025
But with construction having cannibalized approximately 1,200 parking spots, residents in the neighborhoods bordering campus are worried about an influx of vehicles clogging residential streets.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Aug. 2025
Several years ago, niche review sites began to see their search clicks cannibalized by big brands generating SEO spam to take the top of the search results page.
—Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cannibalized
Verb
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Testing in a model plant The team added the McG cycle genes to Arabidopsis thaliana, a small weed often used in plant research.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
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The dating technique used on the eggs, known more formally as carbonate uranium-lead, or U-Pb, dating, is a common process for determining the age of carbonate minerals — those containing calcium, iron, manganese and magnesium.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Interest in the mill’s 100 percent recycled cotton denim is also growing.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Sep. 2025
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It's estimated that more than 220 million tons of polyolefin products are manufactured annually around the world – but only 1% to 10% of it is recycled globally, in part because this material is awfully hard to break down.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cannibalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cannibalized. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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