1
as in to paralyze
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
the malfunctioning of a single component can incapacitate the engine
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cripple
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the stroke left her completely incapacitated
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incapacitate
In November 2024, Morrissey claimed Williams was deemed permanently incapacitated in a court filing.
—
Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 13 Aug. 2025
This is not some bloodthirsty pirate contempt with conquering a pleasure planet like everyone thought, but a calculative master manipulator and tactician who knew the value of Kalgan and used it to acquire a larger prize — incapacitating the Empire’s attack forces.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
Although the extent of the damage is still being assessed, initial readouts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and from independent experts suggest that Iran’s enrichment capability has been heavily degraded or even fully incapacitated.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2025
Now in her 21st year in office, Howard recalled the warmth and support that came her way in 2019 from her House colleagues when her husband was stricken with the incapacitating illness that would claim his life the following year.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 13 Aug. 2025
This is not some bloodthirsty pirate contempt with conquering a pleasure planet like everyone thought, but a calculative master manipulator and tactician who knew the value of Kalgan and used it to acquire a larger prize — incapacitating the Empire’s attack forces.
—Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
Although the extent of the damage is still being assessed, initial readouts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and from independent experts suggest that Iran’s enrichment capability has been heavily degraded or even fully incapacitated.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2025
Now in her 21st year in office, Howard recalled the warmth and support that came her way in 2019 from her House colleagues when her husband was stricken with the incapacitating illness that would claim his life the following year.
—John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitate
Verb
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Doctors spent several minutes resuscitating Luka before making the difficult decision to use a paralyzing agent to stop him from moving and potentially hurting himself.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
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Without these supports, free-will can feel utterly paralyzing.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Tony and Ziva race to the scene, finding the place crippled by a power outage followed by a ransom request for 115 million Euros.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
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The last time active-duty military was sent to Chicago against the wishes of local officials was on July 4, 1894, according to the archives of the Chicago Tribune, when a labor dispute at a Pullman factory crippled the nation’s rail industry and resulted in days of rioting.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The problem comes when ideological casting choices begin to undermine the narrative, contravening Grisham’s famously effective structure and pacing.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ten Hag’s first season at United yielded silverware and a third-place league finish, but also had bouts of concerning away form, with tactical weaknesses that would eventually spread and critically undermine his plans for the future.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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One of two firefighters injured in a house fire in Fort Worth’s Historic Southside on Wednesday has been released from the hospital, while the other is recovering in the burn unit at Parkland Hospital, officials said.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
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McCaffrey missed the first eight games of the season, then injured his knee in a Week 13 game in Buffalo, ending his season.—
Matt Barrows,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Many more were maimed, and almost all the carnage was the direct and intended result of Iran’s nascent Axis.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
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Over 45,000 children have been maimed.—
Sarah Ferguson,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The Justice Department in its June 2024 report on problems with policing in Phoenix found that police delayed medical assistance to people who appeared to be incapacitated as a result of the use of force by officers and used unreasonable force on people who had already been wounded by officers.—
Elena Santa Cruz,
AZCentral.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Two Chicagoans were fatally wounded in separate shootings Sunday evening, according to police.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some of these technologies are essential for ensuring the proper functioning of the service or website and cannot be disabled, while others are optional but serve to enhance the user experience in various ways.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
9 Sep. 2025
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Thankfully, it can easily be disabled via a physical button or touchscreen button.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Over the past two months, Texans have used green ribbons with bows to commemorate the lives lost in the July 4 Hill Country flooding, which killed more than 100 people, including more than two dozen girls and counselors from Camp Mystic in Hunt.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Sep. 2025
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Jerry Jeudy makes far too much money to wreck possessions with two drops, one that killed a drive and another that resulted in a crushing interception.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitate. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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