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sap

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sap distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of sap are cripple, debilitate, disable, enfeeble, undermine, and weaken. While all these words mean "to lose or cause to lose strength or vigor," undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously.

a poor diet undermines your health
drugs had sapped his ability to think

In what contexts can cripple take the place of sap?

While the synonyms cripple and sap are close in meaning, cripple implies causing a serious loss of functioning power through damaging or removing an essential part or element.

crippled by arthritis

When can debilitate be used instead of sap?

The words debilitate and sap are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality.

the debilitating effects of surgery

When would disable be a good substitute for sap?

The words disable and sap can be used in similar contexts, but disable suggests bringing about impairment or limitation in a physical or mental ability.

disabled by an injury sustained at work

When might enfeeble be a better fit than sap?

While in some cases nearly identical to sap, enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness.

enfeebled by starvation

Where would weaken be a reasonable alternative to sap?

In some situations, the words weaken and sap are roughly equivalent. However, weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power.

a disease that weakens the body's defenses

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 sap
Noun
While tequila is unmistakably a Mexican creation, the techniques used to produce it may owe something to Filipino sailors, who brought with them deep knowledge of transforming coconut sap into a potent spirit known as lambanog. Stephen Acabado, The Conversation, 21 July 2025 Coconut sugar is the natural sweetener obtained from the sap of coconut blossoms. Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 14 July 2025
Verb
If the experience of illness is inevitably one of sapping solipsism, caretaking is its life-giving corollary. Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 But the county’s fire union contends the switch saps Fire Rescue funds from long-term plans to add fire trucks, stations and crews in areas of the county needing better coverage to lower response times. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sap
Noun
  • As the evening goes on, DJs take over the rooftop, giving the night a festival-like energy against the Fort Worth skyline.
    Tiffani Jackson Skinner, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
  • According to sources at Valdebebas, the teenager has impressed with his energy, tireless running, constant offering for the ball and strong personality.
    Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Cephalopods’ soft bodies sprout arms and bloom with suckers at these same splits.
    Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2025
  • Unfortunately, Americans have proved themselves to be suckers for packaging that conveys a food’s healthiness, Bragg said.
    Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 23 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Prosecutors said Korosa, who was wearing a walking boot on his foot and using a cane, struck the man on his back and head with the cane, causing the man to fall down the stairs and drop the boy.
    Christy Gutowski, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
  • That's when Korosa allegedly hit Soria with a cane, causing Soria and Flores to plummet down the stairs.
    Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • All programs begin with an advanced diagnostic visit that includes a body scan to analyze your body composition, as well as measurements of your vital signs, cardiovascular health, stress levels and cognitive function.
    Sherrie Nachman, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Many factors affect prostate health, and diet plays a key role.
    Merve Ceylan, Health, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Israeli strikes severely weakened Hezbollah – culminating in the assassination of its revered leader, Hassan Nasrallah – and significantly curtailed the group’s domestic clout.
    Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Symptoms related to Listeria monocytogenes Listeria is especially harmful to people whose immune system is weakened or not fully developed but can also impact healthy individuals.
    Julia Gomez, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Gilded Heiress dips into the world of the wealthy, but its primary focus is on the working-class, which Shupe renders with electric vigor in a genre so often dominated by those breathing rarefied air.
    EW.com, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2025
  • On an unremarkable clay tennis court in the Spanish city of Alicante, watched on by only a handful of spectators, two teenagers swipe the ball to one another with surprising vigor, belying their scrawny, adolescent frames.
    George Ramsay, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Video footage verified by CNN shows the moment an officer draws his baton amid a struggle with one demonstrator as other officers tussle with protesters on the ground.
    Kara Fox, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
  • This is not just the violence of batons or bullets, but the quieter devastation inflicted by law through denial, deferral or bureaucratic neglect.
    Hansel Alejandro Aguilar, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The strength of last year’s group was the secondary.
    Zach Berman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Plus, make sure to use weights that are appropriate for your current level of strength.
    Jakob Roze, Health, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sap. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

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