as in crippling
to cause severe or permanent injury to
was lucky not to be mutilated in the car crash
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Recent Examples of mutilating
The Times reported that Benkired lured Lola to her apartment before raping her, mutilating her and eventually fatally suffocating her with duct tape.
—
Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Koch was never convicted of mutilating the corpses of the people who were murdered in Buchenwald; though some gruesome items were discovered there, there was no proof that they were connected to her.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025
According to the Statesman Journal, Brudos admitted to mutilating the bodies of his victims.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
More than 3,000 Hamas fighters gunned down civilians, torturing and mutilating some of them in their own homes, still in their pajamas.
—Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
After a nearly two-week-long trial, a Milwaukee County jury found Anderson, a 34-year-old former bartender, guilty on all counts on June 6, including first-degree intentional homicide and mutilating a corpse, in connection to Robinson's killing.
—Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 21 Sep. 2025
In 2013, 15-year-old Daniel Marsh was accused of killing and mutilating the bodies of an elderly couple living nearby his father in California.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Koch was never convicted of mutilating the corpses of the people who were murdered in Buchenwald; though some gruesome items were discovered there, there was no proof that they were connected to her.
—Elizabeth Yuko, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 2025
According to the Statesman Journal, Brudos admitted to mutilating the bodies of his victims.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Oct. 2025
More than 3,000 Hamas fighters gunned down civilians, torturing and mutilating some of them in their own homes, still in their pajamas.
—Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
After a nearly two-week-long trial, a Milwaukee County jury found Anderson, a 34-year-old former bartender, guilty on all counts on June 6, including first-degree intentional homicide and mutilating a corpse, in connection to Robinson's killing.
—Drake Bentley, jsonline.com, 21 Sep. 2025
In 2013, 15-year-old Daniel Marsh was accused of killing and mutilating the bodies of an elderly couple living nearby his father in California.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutilating
Verb
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Both have endured crippling US sanctions that have precipitated economic collapses.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
7 Jan. 2026
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None of that was fearful because fear of the unknown, like fear of, showing up in a situation and not knowing what's gonna happen is like, that's a thing that's like crippling to adults and definitely crippling to teenagers.—
Outside Online,
Outside Online,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
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The only way to repair the rift and deal with the incapacitating grief is through art.—
James Shapiro,
The Atlantic,
1 Dec. 2025
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He is accused of slipping incapacitating drugs into victims’ food or drinks before assaulting them between 2021 and 2024.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The suspect, charged with murder and other crimes, allegedly shot at four people in separate vehicles in Prince George’s County, killing one and wounding two.—
Jasmine Golden,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
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Faceworld members opened fire, killing Jordan and wounding another woman.—
Sam Charles,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
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That poor year was largely the product of Vogelsong injuring his right pinkie finger and missing more than two months, but Vogelsong questioned whether the tournament had any impact.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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And then there’s Kyle Rittenhouse, a counter-protester acquitted after fatally shooting two men and injuring another in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during the post-Floyd protests.—
Bill Barrow,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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There are a myriad of other events that Petco Park can book during off-season that don’t entail killing and/or maiming innocent animals.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Jan. 2026
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But the Iranian regime has a long and remorseless record, not only killing but maiming, notably with pellet blasts aimed into the eyes.—
Karl Vick,
Time,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Civil liberties groups that publish protest safety guidance consistently recommend disabling the face and fingerprint unlocking features and using a strong passcode.—
Nicole M. Bennett,
The Conversation,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Historical precedent suggests 18-24 months between credibility-damaging foreign policy moments and electoral materialization.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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Several other cases remain pending — most notably the high-profile conspiracy charges against six protesters, including several Democratic political candidates, accused of impeding immigration officers and damaging a vehicle outside the Broadview ICE facility in September.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Trump has warned against killing protesters and had repeatedly threatened to intervene if Tehran does not change course.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
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Many did not experience concentration camps but were forced to flee villages and towns as Nazi forces advanced, destroying homes and killing millions.—
Hannah Kliger,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mutilating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutilating. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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