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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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
Verb
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
Adjective
-
Long periods of socializing, like a weeklong conference, can feel far more draining than shorter events.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
28 Oct. 2025
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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
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That goes even further than DESI's hints at weakening dark energy.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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The central bank cut its benchmark rate for the second time this year at its most recent meeting, in part to help bolster the economy amid a weakening job market.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
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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The seasonal shift to cheaper winter-blend gasoline could help offset cost increases related to the refinery fire, softening the impact for drivers.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Nov. 2025
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In what could be another sign of a softening labor market, October layoffs jumped 175% from a year ago to 153,074, the highest level since 2003, Challenger, Gray & Christmas said.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The California Republican Party, which was supposed to serve as the No side’s get-out-the-vote force, has been accused of wasting millions of dollars on a mail program.—
Barnini Chakraborty,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Nov. 2025
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The biggest mistake that girls make when going into the interview portion of the pageant, Alverson says, is wasting their interview time on unnecessary, pandering statements.—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sapping.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sapping. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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