cannibalizes

present tense third-person singular of cannibalize
as in uses
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

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cannibalizes Terrified of losing speculative momentum, Google threw its immense cash reserves into an arms race that actively cannibalizes its own business model. Sunil Sharan, Fortune, 27 May 2026 To some extent, the cool commercial logic of the fashion industry—which transforms beautiful, original works into cheaply reproducible goods, season after season—echoes that of Hollywood, which regularly cannibalizes and, yes, franchises its greatest successes. Justin Chang, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026 But if the workforce can’t scale with those policies, the policy just cannibalizes itself. Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cannibalizes
Verb
  • The program also uses 16 buoy systems to send live detection data to lifeguards.
    Kori McNair, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
  • When someone uses a TrumpRx coupon for a brand-name drug at the pharmacy counter, GoodRx processes the claim on the back end.
    Sydney Lupkin, NPR, 16 July 2026
Verb
  • After doing this work, the steam is directed into a condenser, where water from an external source cools it back into liquid form and recycles it back to the reactor core.
    Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
  • Eco effort The hotel monitors its energy consumption and carbon footprint, recycles, and tries to use local products.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cannibalizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cannibalizes. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on cannibalizes

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster