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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

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
The sap from plants can also leave these tools sticky and inefficient when put to use. Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 10 Feb. 2026 Spotted lanternflies feed on tree sap using piercing mouthparts. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
Hypothermia would quickly sap your ability to think clearly and degrade your motor functions, eventually leading to cardiac arrhythmia, loss of consciousness, and cardiac arrest. Alan Bradley, Space.com, 21 Feb. 2026 Unverified theories and wild speculation are sapping law enforcement resources, flooding tip lines with false leads and spawning conspiracy theories targeting innocent people, including family members. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 18 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sap
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sap
Noun
  • White House officials said the Biden-era energy efficiency mandates in HUD and Agriculture departments' guidelines could add up to $9,000 to housing construction costs.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Mar. 2026
  • This means that even if a fault-tolerant quantum computer becomes available, QPE could still struggle with large molecules because the chance of successfully extracting the correct energy becomes vanishingly small.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 14 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Despite all of my research—my monastic study of the lines, my careful hunt for small edges, my righteous avoidance of the high-risk suckers’ bets that the apps were constantly pushing on me—I had been burned by a bad call from a random referee.
    McKay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Eliminate any suckers, which are shoots growing from the base of the tree.
    SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Coffee is also on the menu alongside fruit teas, tropical slushees and sugar cane juice.
    Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 10 Mar. 2026
  • For new blueberry bushes, the first few years of pruning should maintain the structure of the shrub and won't require as much pruning as older bushes since there are no old canes to remove.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Hughes has more than 25 years of experience, including leadership roles, with the YMCA and has focused on supporting health and youth innovations, a museum news release said.
    Michelle Mullins, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Yet when the researchers blocked key proteins involved in dendritic growth, the improvements disappeared—a suggestion that the drug’s mental-health effects might depend on the growth.
    Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Under this model, airlines, hotels, and other end-service providers may benefit, while intermediaries such as ticket booking platforms and price comparison websites may see their roles weakened.
    , CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026
  • This weakens the plant and can cause dieback.
    Steve Bender, Southern Living, 10 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • But thanks to their reproductive vigor — females can lay up to 25,000 eggs in a single season — their numbers quickly hopped out of hand.
    Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2026
  • These soils regulate water uptake and naturally restrain vine vigor, encouraging small berries with thick skins.
    Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The film hands off its plot like a baton, passing from this dissatisfied shopper to a factory owner to her dead daughter-in-law (another ghost) who petitions the government for her civil rights despite being in the body of an appliance.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Edris steals a glance at a dozen or two golden batons rising at eye level.
    Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas Morning News, 9 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Finally, the defanging of the Iranian menace would also significantly augment the collective strength and abilities of the West with respect to China, which relies heavily on Iranian oil.
    Michael M. Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Before starting a new exercise program, Culbertson advised seeing a doctor or a physical therapist to make sure there’s nothing neurological causing your loss of grip strength.
    Danielle Zickl, Health, 12 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Sap.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sap. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.

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