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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2
as in to cripple
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the stroke left her completely incapacitated
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Recent Examples of incapacitate
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
In February 2025, a hiker became severely hypothermic near the summit of Vermont’s Mount Equinox during a winter storm, incapacitated with a dying phone battery.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
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
In February 2025, a hiker became severely hypothermic near the summit of Vermont’s Mount Equinox during a winter storm, incapacitated with a dying phone battery.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitate
Verb
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Thousands of North American schools and universities were paralyzed Thursday after a ransomware attack on a key educational software provider.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
8 May 2026
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The man convicted of pushing a woman into a moving New York City subway car, leaving her paralyzed, was sentenced on Wednesday to 20 years in prison.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Verb
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That has crippled Iran’s two biggest non-oil exports, and higher prices have affected everything from plastics to pipes, to fabrics and packaging for groceries like milk, butter and cheese.—
Amir-Hussein Radjy,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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That has crippled Iran’s two biggest non-oil exports, and higher prices have affected everything from plastics to pipes, to fabrics and packaging for groceries like milk, butter and cheese.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Louisiana sued to restrict access to mifepristone, asserting that its availability undermined the ban there.—
Mark Sherman,
Twin Cities,
4 May 2026
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The Productivity Paradox The cruel irony of America’s sleep deficit is that overwork undermines the output it’s meant to produce.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Police said the driver of the SUV was not injured and is cooperating with investigators.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Apr. 2026
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Joshua Jahn, 29, killed a detainee, injured two others and fatally shot himself.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As a result, more than 1,130 people died and thousands more were maimed or injured.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
1 May 2026
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The attacks kill dozens of people and maim thousands, most of them Hezbollah members but also including women and children.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Two of the strikes Saturday took place on the highway linking Beirut with the southern port city of Sidon, in which several people were wounded, while the third happened on a road leading to Lebanon's Chouf region, killing three, the state-run National News Agency said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 May 2026
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Rescuers conducted an hours-long search operation using heavy machinery to retrieve bodies from under the rubble, Khan said, adding that three police officers were wounded in the attack.—
Riaz Khan,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Verb
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But mental disorders account for the larger share of healthy life years lost, reflecting the chronic and disabling nature of many mental health conditions.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
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To qualify for the Alsip housing, residents were required to be chronically homeless and have a disabling condition, which Rounds said often prevents them from working or living independently.—
Olivia Stevens,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One of the high-profile cases to emerge from last year’s immigration crackdown was the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González, a father of two shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic stop last September in Franklin Park.—
Claire Malon,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
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The 2022 crash killed sheriff’s recruit Alejandro Martinez-Inzunza and seriously injured 10 others.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitate. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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