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
Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
That uses the aerodisc wheels, each machined from a single piece of aluminum and designed to minimize range-sapping eddies and wakes by funneling the air like a turbine.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
Instead of productivity-sapping duplication, two enormous utilities presently serving Florida, the Carolinas and Virginia will combine to expand their capabilities by combining the machines, manpower and thought formerly compromised by two businesses working apart.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026
Over two energy-sapping legs and more than three-and-a-half hours of football, Southampton required a 116th-minute winner from Shea Charles to come from behind on the night and eliminate Middlesbrough from the Championship play-offs and advance to the final against Hull City on Saturday, May 23.
—Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 13 May 2026
Democrats in control of the legislature warn that would hamstring other state priorities, like education and healthcare, by sapping money from the general fund.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
The conflict is not only sapping oil revenue, but also Gulf states’ efforts to expand their economies beyond it.
—Evan Halper, Washington Post, 10 May 2026
But too often those extra years are not healthy ones — sapping the sweetness from what should be our golden years.
—Bryan T. Kelly, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Yet there is scant appetite for such an effort before the midterms from party leadership—as well as from swing-state lawmakers and those who see it as the kind of therapy presenting as governance that risks sapping the party’s momentum.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
With the World Cup kickoff just over a week away, climate scientists are warning that heat could be an invisible opponent, slowing play at open-air venues like Kansas City Stadium (Arrowhead Stadium), sapping players’ legs and testing fans in sweltering conditions.
—Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
That uses the aerodisc wheels, each machined from a single piece of aluminum and designed to minimize range-sapping eddies and wakes by funneling the air like a turbine.
—Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
Instead of productivity-sapping duplication, two enormous utilities presently serving Florida, the Carolinas and Virginia will combine to expand their capabilities by combining the machines, manpower and thought formerly compromised by two businesses working apart.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026
Over two energy-sapping legs and more than three-and-a-half hours of football, Southampton required a 116th-minute winner from Shea Charles to come from behind on the night and eliminate Middlesbrough from the Championship play-offs and advance to the final against Hull City on Saturday, May 23.
—Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 13 May 2026
Democrats in control of the legislature warn that would hamstring other state priorities, like education and healthcare, by sapping money from the general fund.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
The conflict is not only sapping oil revenue, but also Gulf states’ efforts to expand their economies beyond it.
—Evan Halper, Washington Post, 10 May 2026
But too often those extra years are not healthy ones — sapping the sweetness from what should be our golden years.
—Bryan T. Kelly, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026
Yet there is scant appetite for such an effort before the midterms from party leadership—as well as from swing-state lawmakers and those who see it as the kind of therapy presenting as governance that risks sapping the party’s momentum.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sapping
Adjective
-
Others are voluntarily asking to see more patients because the most draining and time-consuming parts of their job are now handled by AI.—
FJ Campbell,
Fortune,
20 May 2026
-
Already carrying wider spans of control and shrinking development support, a manager operating against an outdated role definition is doing something more draining than managing a heavy workload.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
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In conclusion, autonomous AI risks undermining the essential human spirit of science and weakening its role as an arbiter of social conflicts.—
Mohammad Hosseini,
Chicago Tribune,
4 June 2026
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Critics argue the measures risk worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis on the island without meaningfully weakening the government.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Adjective
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Such a statistic often provokes a familiar gamut of responses from those who read it, from shock, disgust and anger to a debilitating sense of helplessness.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
-
In the third, and most debilitating, patients withdraw from the world.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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With inflation surging, wages softening and borrowing costs high thanks to elevated interest rates, the incentive to protect this money is particularly strong now.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
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But softening Republican support on specific policy matters — including top voter priorities, such as the economy — have begun raising questions among experts whether further erosion is possible.—
Ana Ceballos,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Fans cool people, not rooms, so turning them off in empty spaces avoids wasting energy.—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
6 June 2026
-
The legendary musician opened up about living with inclusion body myositis (IBM), which, according to Johns Hopkins, is an inflammatory muscle-wasting disease characterized by progressive muscle weakness.—
Leigh Blickley,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sapping. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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