as in to weaken
to lose bodily strength or vigor without adequate medical supplies, doctors could only look on helplessly as cholera victims continued to emaciate

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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 emaciate Ruby’s 10-year-old daughter was also found in the house emaciated, and the two women were arrested and held without bail. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2024 At barely five pounds, Matilda was emaciated and clinging to life when the Monmouth County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals took her in. Kathleen Hopkins, USA TODAY, 30 May 2023 Six dead giraffes, bodies emaciated from the lack of food and water, photographed by Ed Ram, show the horror of Kenya’s prolonged ongoing drought, which has threatened and displaced animals and humans alike. Nell Lewis, CNN, 29 Mar. 2023 Past herds of cows wandering through busy settlements along the highway in search of water, so emaciated their ribs were showing. Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2023 Many were emaciated, unlike the examples in the current study. Joshua Sokol, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2020 Three of them were severely malnourished and the rest were emaciated, according to the Sheriff's Office. James Carr, azcentral, 21 Feb. 2020 Detectives noted that much of the food in the home was locked away and that James' body was emaciated when found. Sarah Sarder, Houston Chronicle, 18 Feb. 2020 Scores of common murres, one of the most prolific seabirds, washed up on beaches, and many were emaciated, the researchers said. oregonlive, 21 Jan. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emaciate
Verb
  • Foreign powers such as Russia and China, which challenge America and its allies from Europe to the Middle East to Taiwan and the South China Sea, have long been accused of exploiting such divisions through disinformation campaigns that inflame tensions and weaken confidence in American governance.
    Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
  • But around the equinoxes, the natural buffer weakens.
    Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • After a pause, the composition takes on a searching quality, as the melody travels from one instrument to the next, including a compelling viola solo performed by principal viola Maiya Papach, eventually fading out to nothing, leaving the audience suspended in uneasy quiet.
    Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The long-standing expectation was that these resonance signals would fade and become negligible as the momentum transfer increased.
    Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Lucky went 1,500 days in the shelter without being adopted, then everything changed.
    Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Before all that happened, though, there was the eight-course dinner, which went totally fine as predicted.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Cracker Barrel was looking to draw new customers, especially younger ones, after years of sagging sales.
    Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Policymakers are widely expected to lower their benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point next week to prop up the sagging job market.
    Scott Horsley, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Colorful spots on Cheyava Falls contain the mineral greigite, which some microbes on Earth excrete, and vivianite, which is often found around decaying organic matter.
    David W. Brown, New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The rest resides for a time in lumber, which in the case of redwood is mostly used for picnic tables, fences and decks that all too soon decay and release the remaining carbon.
    John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Likely to have less impact on your buying decision (but still reside in the back of your mind) is that if one of the triple-panel fans fails, the entire triple-fan unit needs replacing, not just one fan.
    Thomas Soderstrom, PC Magazine, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The new glue has impressive properties, including its ability to withstand significant forces before failing.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 13 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Emaciate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emaciate. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.

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