sapped 1 of 2

sapped

2 of 2

verb

past tense of sap

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
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 lingering high ticket prices combined with weaker teams might mean sparse attendance.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 19 June 2026
  • Tokyo wants to appear to be fighting a weak yen, while welcoming it in private.
    William Pesek, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • The decision weakened the federal Voting Rights Act’s protections against racially discriminatory redistricting.
    SIMEON GATES, ABC News, 25 June 2026
  • Brexit’s tortuous complexity weakened governance and led to parliamentary deadlock.
    Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 25 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
  • The bedrooms are where the mood shifts just a bit—they’re still wrapped in wood, but are softened with velvet throws, patterned pillows, and bedding in shades of blue and green that nods to the surrounding forest and the lake.
    Madeline Weinfield, Architectural Digest, 24 June 2026
  • Sonko — now the influential speaker of parliament — has softened his anti-restructuring stance.
    Jenny Vaughan, semafor.com, 24 June 2026
Verb
  • And Louis, perhaps exhausted from his spree of bouts, but also perhaps looking past Schmeling, hadn’t trained much.
    Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 19 June 2026
  • Once the trust fund is exhausted, the system will continue to receive payroll and self-employment taxes each year.
    Bob Carlson, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • The first half of the year usually reveals where time, energy and resources are being wasted.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
  • Solar and wind power can generate excess electricity during periods of strong production, but that energy is often wasted if it cannot be stored for later use.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 24 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Sapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sapped. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.

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