as in weak
lacking bodily strength
I was completely sapped after the first day of hauling logs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in weakened
to diminish the physical strength of
weeks of hard work had sapped her and left her exhausted
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 sapped
Aly J Yale, CBS News, 11 June 2026
Little surprise that the pair explore the wider context of Brazil’s 1970 World Cup triumph, namely the military dictatorship that sapped national pride and heaped enormous pressure on a team — one who’d stunk up the tournament four years earlier — to restore it.
—Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 10 June 2026
But years of water use that outpaced the Colorado River’s shrinking flows have, over the past two decades, sapped the reservoir’s water stores and created an existential crisis for water managers across the basin, home to 40 million people.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 June 2026
The energy that normally accompanies a race has been sapped.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 23 May 2026
That sapped momentum from AI stocks worldwide on Tuesday.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Because the jagged, shallow seabed near the fjord’s mouth acted like a speed bump that sapped the wave’s energy, people onboard the cruise ship came out of the event unscathed.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 May 2026
The currency has rallied after sliding 4% in March as the Iran war sapped global risk sentiment.
—David Finnerty, Bloomberg, 20 Apr. 2026
Jacobs stopped recording a few years ago as worsening health problems sapped his desire to go out and see concerts.
—ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
Rising gas prices from the war in Iran have sapped potential investment money from American pocketbooks.
—Aly J Yale, CBS News, 11 June 2026
Little surprise that the pair explore the wider context of Brazil’s 1970 World Cup triumph, namely the military dictatorship that sapped national pride and heaped enormous pressure on a team — one who’d stunk up the tournament four years earlier — to restore it.
—Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 10 June 2026
But years of water use that outpaced the Colorado River’s shrinking flows have, over the past two decades, sapped the reservoir’s water stores and created an existential crisis for water managers across the basin, home to 40 million people.
—Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 June 2026
The energy that normally accompanies a race has been sapped.
—Jordan Bianchi, New York Times, 23 May 2026
That sapped momentum from AI stocks worldwide on Tuesday.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Because the jagged, shallow seabed near the fjord’s mouth acted like a speed bump that sapped the wave’s energy, people onboard the cruise ship came out of the event unscathed.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 10 May 2026
The currency has rallied after sliding 4% in March as the Iran war sapped global risk sentiment.
—David Finnerty, Bloomberg, 20 Apr. 2026
Jacobs stopped recording a few years ago as worsening health problems sapped his desire to go out and see concerts.
—ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sapped
Adjective
-
But his father contracted pneumonia in 2011, and after two decades in prison, his body was too weak to fight it.—
Yumi Asada,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
-
That gap is where signal blindness, misalignment, bottlenecks, execution delays and weak learning loops quietly convert external change into our fragilities.—
Christopher Washington,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
At the same time, his ability in recent months to command functioning majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives has weakened considerably.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
The study finds that auto-renewal generated higher revenue in the medium term, but the advantage weakened as the subscriber count and engagement picture deteriorated.—
HEC Paris Insights,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Jolted by a feeble office market, a growing number of developers are considering ways to convert their office properties to other uses, such as housing projects.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
-
Enervated cuteness and tryhard sincerity define a whole new wave of musicians, from Pittsburgh rockers feeble little horse to cringe-pop upcycler Worldpeace DMT to SoundCloud producer MASSI, whose songs spill with the tiny adorable detail of a toy train set.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Fire up the grill, toast the buns and lean into indulgence with meaty beef patties layered beneath smoky bacon, oozing cheese and sweet onions softened to a slippery tangle.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
-
However, following the Investment Research Review in 2023 by Rachel Kent, a partner at the law firm Hogan Lovells, the Financial Conduct Authority has softened the rules — allowing asset managers to bundle some payments for research and trade execution once more.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
Federal pandemic-relief funds were exhausted in 2025.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
10 June 2026
-
The forecast shows the trust fund will be exhausted three months earlier than was predicted last year.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
New York — Kevin Warsh wasted no time putting his stamp on the Federal Reserve in his first meeting as chairman.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
18 June 2026
-
That wandering is not necessarily wasted time.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sapped. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
