incapacitate

verb

ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt How to pronounce incapacitate (audio)
Definition of incapacitatenext
1
as in to paralyze
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move the malfunctioning of a single component can incapacitate the engine

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 incapacitate Now, a poisonous residue on the same crowbar has left him incapacitated. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 According to the suit, Jane Doe was beset by seven men while she was incapacitated by drugs and alcohol. — Anahid Nersessian, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026 Add to that Safe Return™ Emergency Autoland, where, if the pilot was incapacitated, a touch of a big red button initiates a safe, autonomous landing. — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2026 The police described her as drunk and incapacitated, according to the records. — New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitate
  1. cripple
  2. injure
  3. undermine
  4. maim
  5. wound
  6. disable
  7. kill
Verb
  • The destruction of South Korea’s memory chip fabs would compound this tragedy and cripple the global economy.
    — Dan Blumenthal, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Mendel argued that Zelenskyy's promise to bring peace at the time stands in stark contrast to the devastating war that has crippled the country and defined much of his presidency.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of cripple
Verb
  • No bystanders were injured in the shooting, according to police.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Police said the occupant of the semitractor-trailer was not injured.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of injure
Verb
  • But supporters also warned that a Congress increasingly dominated by the far right and the agribusiness caucus could undermine those efforts to protect the forest and combat climate change.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The senator challenged Supreme Federal Court Justice Cristiano Zanin’s decision to extend voting by two hours, arguing that the uneven application of the measure had undermined equal voting conditions.
    — Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of undermine
Verb
  • The trailer ends with Antonia Thomas, Fina Strazza, Viswanathan and Poehler’s characters maiming themselves for the cause.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Roché said six people, including minors, had been maimed in three weeks of protests, losing hands or eyes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of maim
Verb
  • Israeli forces demolished two homes in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Friday belonging to Palestinian gunmen who carried out an attack last week that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded three others.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2026
  • The attacks have left at least 20 dead and 370 wounded, and have forced the closure of King Khalid International Airport for two weeks.
    — Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of wound
Verb
  • The blasts sparked an engine-room fire that disabled the vessel, the agency said, adding that the crew was safe.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The officer positioned themself ahead of the vehicle and deployed tire deflation devices, disabling the vehicle’s front driver’s-side tire, according to police.
    — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of disable
Verb
  • An Israeli strike in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis killed five people, according to Nasser Hospital, where the bodies were taken.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • But the seventh entry, alongside the Resident Evil 2 Remake in 2019, breathed new life into the franchise, which has proved as tough to kill as any of Umbrella's bioweapons.
    — Daryl Baxter, Space.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of kill

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitate. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

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