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
Relevance
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
Mojtaba Khamenei’s absence from public life has raised speculation that he could be incapacitated or dead.
—
Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2026
The lieutenant governor assumes the top job if the governor is incapacitated or dies.
—Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
While advantageous to hunters who want to be hidden from their targets, such an outfit presents obvious difficulties for searchers trying to find someone who could be incapacitated.
—Logan Smith, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Everyone gathers to the porch to watch the bear lumber away to the next trash can while hibachi dad is left incapacitated in the foyer.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2026
The lieutenant governor assumes the top job if the governor is incapacitated or dies.
—Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2026
While advantageous to hunters who want to be hidden from their targets, such an outfit presents obvious difficulties for searchers trying to find someone who could be incapacitated.
—Logan Smith, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Everyone gathers to the porch to watch the bear lumber away to the next trash can while hibachi dad is left incapacitated in the foyer.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitate
Verb
-
In fact, too much choice often paralyzes decision-making.—
David Meade,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2026
-
Public toilets stopped working, paralyzed without bank payments by mobile internet.—
Mary Ilyushina,
Washington Post,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
Trump signed an executive order to impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a move that could further cripple the island.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
-
But the sanctions haven't crippled Cuba's leadership, as some had hoped.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Future decisions embracing those limits could further undermine the landmark voting law, long considered the crown jewel of the civil rights movement, and hamper the ability of voting rights groups and individual voters to file lawsuits alleging violations of the measure.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
-
Sandweg said one of the director's most underappreciated responsibilities is managing that internal fault line, ensuring that ERO's highly visible arrest operations do not undermine HSI's ability to cultivate the confidential informants and foreign partnerships on which its work depends.—
Philip Wang,
Time,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
Police are investigating an east Fort Worth shooting that injured a man Sunday night.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
-
Alcaraz injured his wrist at the Barcelona Open last month, forcing him out of the French Open that starts this weekend.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Joshua Booth, 51, was charged with one count of willfully or maliciously torture, maim or mutilate an animal kept for companionship or pleasure causing death, a category B felony under Nevada law, according to the Clark County District Attorney's Office.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
These armed hostilities have maimed, mutilated and killed millions of human beings — many of them innocent civilians.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Grainy video footage from those protests reveal the brutality of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, who drag students into the street, viciously beat them and then leave them wounded on the ground.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
-
Ukraine launched one of its largest drone barrages of the war, killing at least three people near Moscow and another in Belgorod and wounding a dozen more, officials said.—
Samya Kullab,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Flock says that communities using its cameras may grant data access to federal agencies, but that sharing with federal agencies is disabled by default.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
-
That said, Mazda deserves some credit for including a dedicated shortcut button to quickly disable the more intrusive driver assistance alerts — something many motorists will appreciate.—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
In a final battle, the Darksaber is destroyed, Gideon and his clones are seemingly killed, and the newly united Mandalorians settle back on Mandalore.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
-
Initial tests suggested the outbreak may not involve the Ebola Zaire strain, which was responsible for Congo’s devastating 2018-2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitate. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
