as in weakening
to diminish the physical strength of
weeks of hard work had sapped her and left her exhausted
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in draining
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sapping
Beren Cross, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Food shortages would mean the disappearance of luxuries and the rationing of staples, sapping public morale.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
That’s so precious to me right now, and the idea of producing a lot of stuff — and sapping all of that free time — is not appealing.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
If the experience of illness is inevitably one of sapping solipsism, caretaking is its life-giving corollary.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
However, these decisions shouldn’t be sapping you of your energy altogether.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
The film charts Stone’s tragic descent into severe drug addiction, sapping the creativity that had astonished the world.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2025
That gridlock is sapping a powerhouse central to the nation’s prosperity.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2025
And if Alabama cancels marquee matchups, other SEC schools will assuredly follow — potentially sapping the sport of must-see intersectional duels that energize the September competition calendar.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024
Adjective
Aaronson was virtually blamed for last weekend’s loss to Burnley after his hope-sapping first-half miss.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Food shortages would mean the disappearance of luxuries and the rationing of staples, sapping public morale.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
That’s so precious to me right now, and the idea of producing a lot of stuff — and sapping all of that free time — is not appealing.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
If the experience of illness is inevitably one of sapping solipsism, caretaking is its life-giving corollary.
—Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
However, these decisions shouldn’t be sapping you of your energy altogether.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
The film charts Stone’s tragic descent into severe drug addiction, sapping the creativity that had astonished the world.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2025
That gridlock is sapping a powerhouse central to the nation’s prosperity.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2025
And if Alabama cancels marquee matchups, other SEC schools will assuredly follow — potentially sapping the sport of must-see intersectional duels that energize the September competition calendar.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sapping
Verb
-
Ocean acidification is weakening the teeth of sharks.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
29 Oct. 2025
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The free-trade agenda sought to deregulate the labor market and prioritize market efficiency, strengthening the hands of employers and severely weakening union and social movements, as anti-free traders had predicted.—
Dónal Gill,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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By aligning strategic work with those rhythms, productivity can feel more natural and less draining.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The reading brought a sigh of relief, easing concerns that the economy was facing a double whammy of a softening labor market with reaccelerating inflation.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
24 Oct. 2025
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Truly rotten pumpkins also don't make good toys or feed for wildlife—whether the wildlife around your home or as feed or entertainment for animals at the zoo or local farm—though pumpkins that are just softening are ideal for this role.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Austen and Tate lived together in a small apartment until Austen’s arthritis proved too debilitating.—
Margaret Hetherman,
NBC news,
19 Oct. 2025
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Over the next three years, Lia would develop a perplexing, debilitating, and persistent set of symptoms.—
Eli Cahan,
Rolling Stone,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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See below for the best tips from professional cleaners on how to clean your blinds at home easily and efficiently, without wasting your whole day wiping them down.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
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Simply put, the Yankees can find better options for their bullpen, as opposed to wasting a roster spot on Hamilton.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sapping. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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