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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 This is somewhat reassuring since FEMA now appears to be incapacitated. — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026 Tasers are designed to incapacitate muscles through pulsed current generated between probes. — Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2026 Conclusion The world’s deadliest snakes use different biological weapons to incapacitate their victims. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 6 Aug. 2026 Grayson filed for release under the Joe Coleman Act, which applies to incarcerated people who are terminally ill or medically incapacitated. — Ava Kelley, NBC news, 31 July 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
  • Then, after becoming Trojans AD in August 2010, he was tasked with moving the athletic department past crippling NCAA sanctions.
    — The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Young men and women went overseas, on orders of presidents, to try to cripple and kill the enemy and its enablers in foreign lands.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of cripple
Verb
  • Since the Iran war began, there has been increasing confusion over the number of troops who have been injured and killed, unlike in many other overseas conflicts when data is reported routinely.
    — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Some horses come in severely injured, which is no longer necessarily a death sentence.
    — Robert McCoppin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of injure
Verb
  • Seeking to deliberately undermine, delegitimize and destroy is not Madisonian.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
  • The strike has undermined the junta’s ability to provide public services.
    — Andrew Nachemson, The Dial, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of undermine
Verb
  • That’s how this season starts, and Reacher’s methods of maiming and/or killing only get more elaborate.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Men routinely fall off buildings, get electrocuted, crushed or maimed.
    — Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of maim
Verb
  • Russian authorities reported one dead and 21 wounded in Ukrainian long-range strikes.
    — HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Three men were wounded Thursday night in a drive-by shooting in the South Chicago neighborhood, Chicago police said.
    — Deanese Williams-Harris, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of wound
Verb
  • The bill would also impose criminal penalties on employees of AI companies who disable safeguards, kill switches, logging or containment systems, or who knowingly deploy an unauthorized system.
    — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
  • If a website, pop-up or random tutorial tells you to disable antivirus protection so something will install, stop.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of disable
Verb
  • In Gaza City, a strike hit a car, killing one person and wounding several others, according to Shifa Hospital.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
  • This opaqueness from earlier in the season pays off in the form of John recounting the brutal methods the Manhunter used to decimate this planet, involving a fear gas that made people kill one another and jump to their deaths.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 28 Sep. 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 29 Sep. 2026.

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