as in draining
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as in weakening
to diminish the physical strength of
weeks of hard work had sapped her and left her exhausted
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Recent Examples of sapping
Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 18 Mar. 2026
Despite morale-sapping staff layoffs, bizarre executive orders and a 43-day federal government shutdown last fall, the grandeur and serenity of national parks in California remain irresistible to outdoors lovers looking to unwind.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
The losses were sapping their strength and stamina.
—ABC News, 28 Feb. 2026
That morale-sapping defeat in Leeds was not the first of its kind since his late October appointment.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Seizing on the frigid weather, Russia has launched an all-out assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with the apparent aim of keeping up pressure amid ongoing peace negotiations—and sapping public morale.
—Michael Holtz, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
Too many turnaround attempts see a CEO throwing spaghetti at the wall in the hopes something will work, further confusing the rank and file and sapping their confidence in management.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
The energy-sapping pace of the game, with furious pressing and frenzied chasing, saw mistakes creep in, with Morocco caught flat by Nicolas Jackson’s 38th-minute pass to Iliman Ndiaye, whose shot was saved by Bounou.
—Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
Fueling the surges are power-sapping data hubs — one is planned for 160 acres in Grayslake — and the growth of artificial intelligence.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Verb
The situation is so bad that research firms are predicting both the smartphone and PC industry will experience around a 10% decrease in shipments during 2026 due to the rising component costs sapping demand and production.
—Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 18 Mar. 2026
Despite morale-sapping staff layoffs, bizarre executive orders and a 43-day federal government shutdown last fall, the grandeur and serenity of national parks in California remain irresistible to outdoors lovers looking to unwind.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026
The losses were sapping their strength and stamina.
—ABC News, 28 Feb. 2026
That morale-sapping defeat in Leeds was not the first of its kind since his late October appointment.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Seizing on the frigid weather, Russia has launched an all-out assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with the apparent aim of keeping up pressure amid ongoing peace negotiations—and sapping public morale.
—Michael Holtz, New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2026
Too many turnaround attempts see a CEO throwing spaghetti at the wall in the hopes something will work, further confusing the rank and file and sapping their confidence in management.
—Phil Wahba, Fortune, 30 Jan. 2026
The energy-sapping pace of the game, with furious pressing and frenzied chasing, saw mistakes creep in, with Morocco caught flat by Nicolas Jackson’s 38th-minute pass to Iliman Ndiaye, whose shot was saved by Bounou.
—Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026
Fueling the surges are power-sapping data hubs — one is planned for 160 acres in Grayslake — and the growth of artificial intelligence.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sapping
Adjective
-
Long periods of socializing, like a weeklong conference, can feel far more draining than shorter events.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
28 Oct. 2025
-
By aligning strategic work with those rhythms, productivity can feel more natural and less draining.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The aims have ranged from weakening Iran's nuclear program, missile program and support for armed proxies to enabling the Iranian people to overthrow the theocracy.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 Mar. 2026
-
But that same logic was applied to other things like weakening labor protections, with factories shutting down and the country beginning to see the demise of labor unions.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Living with long COVID Long COVID is often very debilitating, Walkes said.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Worries are worsening that the war could block the production of oil in the Persian Gulf for a long time and cause a debilitating surge of inflation for the global economy.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The biggest red flag for backcountry travelers is rapidly softening snow.—
Callie Zanandrie,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
-
The central bank held its benchmark interest rate steady on Wednesday as policymakers face growing signs of a softening job market, even as the war in Iran puts more upward pressure on prices.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Such a designation, evidently, would save agents from wasting time chasing phantoms.—
Adam Ciralsky,
Vanity Fair,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Avoid space-wasting moves, such as storing tall bottles on the same shelf as short cocktail tumblers.—
Amy Panos,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sapping. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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