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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incapacitate
However, Flanagan’s grandmother, Nadine Followill, known as Mimi, a smart, strong-willed and independent former office manager, became injured and incapacitated after a series of falls.
—
Ben Fenwick, Oklahoma Watch, 12 Jan. 2026
The suspect advanced on police after a roughly seven-minute standoff and officers deployed stun guns, which failed to incapacitate him, according to Minch.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Munoz-Guatemala was not incapacitated by the Taser, prosecutors said, and kept driving, taking Ross the length of a football field in 12 seconds.
—Ryan J. Foley, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
The administration, for instance, has tried to incapacitate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
—Emily Badger, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Ben Fenwick, Oklahoma Watch, 12 Jan. 2026
The suspect advanced on police after a roughly seven-minute standoff and officers deployed stun guns, which failed to incapacitate him, according to Minch.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Munoz-Guatemala was not incapacitated by the Taser, prosecutors said, and kept driving, taking Ross the length of a football field in 12 seconds.
—Ryan J. Foley, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
The administration, for instance, has tried to incapacitate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
—Emily Badger, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitate
Verb
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Have joy, have fun, come together and do not be paralyzed by fear.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Jan. 2026
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The recent winter storm paralyzed North Texas for about four days, leaving thousands of workers without income.—
Imelda García,
Dallas Morning News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In 2021, a record-shattering outbreak of cold in Texas crippled the state’s electric grid, a meltdown blamed in large part on failures in its gas infrastructure.—
Kristi Swartz,
AJC.com,
26 Jan. 2026
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Widespread power outages, dilapidated equipment, and a lack of spare parts from absent foreign firms crippled operations.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That changes the nature of those devices and undermines the reason to buy an iPhone in the first place.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Even for a politician known for erratic policy shifts, this swap—of longtime democratic partners that have sacrificed much for America’s benefit in exchange for an authoritarian regime intent on undermining it—is bizarre.—
Michael Schuman,
The Atlantic,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Patrick Gary Schlegel, 34, of Sahuarita, was shot and critically injured, according to authorities.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
28 Jan. 2026
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Kevin De Bruyne got injured in October and hasn’t featured since.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If fentanyl production or the existence of a Jefferson Davis statue can be legally deemed public nuisances, why can’t a deluge of violent, masked, and armed people flooding the streets of a city, maiming, brutalizing, and even killing along the way?—
Aziz Huq,
The Atlantic,
27 Jan. 2026
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Most Iranians know someone who has been persecuted, killed, maimed, or unjustly imprisoned by the Islamic Republic regime that has occupied Iran since 1979.—
Dan Bilefsky,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Jonathan has been wounded physically, mentally and emotionally at the end of this season.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
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Thirty years ago, the firestorm over a 21-day shutdown revived Bill Clinton's presidency and grievously wounded Newt Gingrich's speakership.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The mitigation is to disable automative media saving.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Youthful pond hockey injuries and years of surfing scrapes have been absorbed as painful but far from disabling.—
Fred Schruers,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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State television reported that Niger's forces responded quickly to the assault early Thursday, killing 20 of the attackers and arresting 11 others.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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Banfield took the stand in his own defense, acknowledging the affair with Peres Magalhães that started in August 2022 but denied any plans to kill his wife.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitate. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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