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 Smit Machchhar with the cockpit's crash axe, incapacitating him and causing the aircraft to plummet before passengers on board seized control of the plane. — Michael Sinkewicz , Elizabeth Pritchett, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026 The law distinguishes that from being physically helpless or incapacitated by drugs administered without consent. — Hallie Golden, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2026 Lopez then ran away, and Hager fired his Taser stun gun at him, but the shock didn’t incapacitate him, according to the sheriff’s office. — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026 In 2023, Kim was legally declared incapacitated after her cardiac arrest resulted in a brain injury affecting her motor skills, language and memory. — Jessica Golden,alex Sherman, CNBC, 30 Sep. 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
  • Block that passage, the thinking went, and China’s economy would be crippled.
    — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In the days after the ceasefire broke down, the Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi shipping, and launched attacks crippling Saudi Arabia’s oil export infrastructure.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of cripple
Verb
  • Monday's attack came a day after a Russian drone struck the village of Pisochyn in the Kharkiv district, killing three people and injuring nine others, including children, according to the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The script was about a last draft-pick NFL player who gets injured on his very first play and returns home to Alaska to become a fisherman.
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of injure
Verb
  • Fox News Digital asked Martin whether that level of support undermined Ireland's neutrality.
    — Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Brazil’s attorney general last week accused the US of undermining Brazilian democracy — a central theme for incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who holds a razor-thin polling lead over Flávio Bolsonaro.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of undermine
Verb
  • Doctors in Aleppo later reported a pattern of regime snipers shooting to maim civilians, rather than to kill them—partly to maximize suffering, partly to invite rescue attempts.
    — Ben Taub, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Through its stance, the NHL bears a share of responsibility for the people killed and maimed in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
    — Dominik Hasek, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of maim
Verb
  • The governor of the Kaluga region, Vladislav Shapsha, said Friday that nine people had been wounded by drone attacks on the region.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Suffice it to say the mystery bullets that landed in Rate Field’s bleachers in 2023 and wounded two women definitely aren’t relevant to this feel-good story but are worth mentioning to remind us how much the Sox narrative has changed.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of wound
Verb
  • The next day, Ukrainian drones hit the company's major data center in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, disabling part of the facility, Yandex said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
  • The next day, Ukrainian drones hit the company’s major data center in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, disabling part of the facilty, Yandex said.
    — Susie Blann, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of disable
Verb
  • When an unplanned blast kills a boy from the village, the elders take advance compensation to keep the peace.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Zelenskyy said 23 people were killed in the attack, including four children.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of kill

Browse Nearby Words

incapably
incapacitate
incapacitated
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Cite this Entry

“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitate. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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