mutilating

verb

present participle of mutilate
as in crippling
to cause severe or permanent injury to was lucky not to be mutilated in the car crash

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 mutilating Guess which mowing league isn't mutilating hedgehogs? — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026 Tony Lee Hughes, 38, of the 600 block of Camelot Manor, is charged with Level 6 felonies of killing a domestic animal and mutilating a vertebrate animal. — Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026 Apparently, their definition of resistance is to gang rape as many women and men of all ages as possible before torturing, mutilating and murdering them. — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2026 Nearly a year after her death, Burke was arrested and charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances, lewd and lascivious acts with an individual under 14 and mutilating a body. — Austin Turner, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026 D4vd pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a body in connection with Rivas Hernandez’s death. — Jessica Schaldebeck, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026 Burke is formally charged with murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a body. — ABC News, 20 Apr. 2026 The strikes have also ripped through the historic palaces my father proudly showed me as a child, mutilating Iran’s ancient cultural heritage. — Alex Shams, Time, 14 Mar. 2026 Nationwide, the first successful prosecution happened in 2016 when a Houston man was sentenced to five years for creating videos that featured a woman mutilating and killing puppies, chickens and kittens and distributing them on the internet. — Jay Weaver, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mutilating
  1. crippling
  2. incapacitating
  3. wounding
  4. injuring
  5. maiming
  6. disabling
  7. damaging
  8. killing
Verb
  • Florida didn’t have the cap space to work out the shorter term deal without crippling its ability to make other moves this offseason to enhance the roster.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026
  • Eddie Marsan also delivers a sympathetic turn as the sad sack dad worn down by the effects of capitalism and sometimes crippling OCD.
    — Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 26 June 2026
Definition of crippling
Verb
  • The driver hits Leatherface in the head with a wrench, incapacitating him long enough for the driver to run away and Sally to jump into the cab of a passing pickup truck.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026
  • Tabitha grabs one of the weird, spooky totem things and drives it through the chest of the scarecrow monster attacking Donna, killing it – or at least incapacitating it – and the scarecrows retreat.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Definition of incapacitating
Verb
  • And Israeli drones struck the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al Balah, wounding 10 people, the hospital said.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
  • And Israeli drones struck the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah, wounding 10 people, the hospital said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
Definition of wounding
Verb
  • On November 17, tanks smashed through the gates, injuring and killing students.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • Russia has carried out a wave of ballistic missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens, Ukrainian officials said Sunday.
    — Anniek Bao,Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 20 July 2026
Definition of injuring
Verb
  • Even in 2026, the category’s identity is anchored in infamous scenes of maiming, torture, and cathartic bloodshed.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 22 July 2026
  • All of the 200 children and adolescents initially qualified for the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder; after the group’s fifth session, with war still killing and maiming their friends, only 30% qualified.
    — James Gordon, Time, 14 July 2026
Definition of maiming
Verb
  • Powerful solar storms, like the one that hit Earth in January, are capable of disrupting or disabling satellites by interfering with onboard electronics, sensitive instruments and communications systems.
    — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 23 July 2026
  • Despite a disabling illness, Ettenberg continues expanding these essential tools, ensuring others can dine with confidence.
    — Michele Herrmann, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
Definition of disabling
Verb
  • Engineers can spot a bad move inside a crowded virtual home before the machine risks damaging something or moving too close to a person.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026
  • Crowds of people—including the relatives of patients—stormed Ituri’s Nyakunde Hospital, throwing stones and damaging its perimeter fence on July 15, according to Reuters.
    — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 22 July 2026
Definition of damaging
Verb
  • Willett faced some blowback after touting an endorsement from Eric DeValkenaere, the first Kansas City police officer ever convicted for killing a Black man.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2026
  • An armed Hudson barricaded himself and his mother inside her apartment after deputies responded to the second call for help before shooting Hayes four times, killing her.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of killing

Browse Nearby Words

mutilates
mutilating
mutilation
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Cite this Entry

“Mutilating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mutilating. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on mutilating

Nglish: Translation of mutilating for Spanish Speakers

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