1
as in to soften
to diminish the physical strength of
weeks of hardship in the desert had greatly weakened them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor
the bodybuilder weakened once she eased off on her workouts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to dilute
to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances
weakened the juice with too much water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of weaken
The group has seen a revival in the past four years, after counterterrorism campaigns significantly weakened it around a decade ago.
—
NPR, 31 Oct. 2025
Services revenue growth should maintain momentum despite weakening App Store spending trends on continued DD% momentum across iCloud+, TAC, AppleCare+, Apple Pay, and other subscription services.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Melissa has since weakened to a Category 3 hurricane and continues to move north, triggering widespread flooding and emergency declarations across the Caribbean.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Melissa developed into a Category 3 hurricane, before weakening to a Category 2 hurricane.
—Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for weaken
NPR, 31 Oct. 2025
Services revenue growth should maintain momentum despite weakening App Store spending trends on continued DD% momentum across iCloud+, TAC, AppleCare+, Apple Pay, and other subscription services.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Melissa has since weakened to a Category 3 hurricane and continues to move north, triggering widespread flooding and emergency declarations across the Caribbean.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
Melissa developed into a Category 3 hurricane, before weakening to a Category 2 hurricane.
—Miami Herald Hurricane Bot, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for weaken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weaken
Verb
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Constipation can occur with iron supplements by affecting gut bacteria and pulling stool-softening water from your colon.—
Emmanuella Ogbonna,
Health,
31 Oct. 2025
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Following her victory on the show, Curry became critical of the program and Banks, though her opinion on the reality TV experience has softened over the years.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Mankinlu Maple Leaf Solar Pathway Lights As daylight starts to fade earlier, these cute pathway lights add both charm and function to your yard.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Oct. 2025
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The Trail Blazers faded in the fourth quarter en route to a 118-114 loss to the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Never use hydrogen peroxide at full strength on floors—dilute it with water before using.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
31 Oct. 2025
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The denim purveyor said in its complaint that the tab trademark has come to be known as a concrete signal that consumers are buying an authentic Levi’s product and argued that extraneous uses of that trademark could dilute or harm its own brand.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The next day, however, a football-style tussle left him injured.—
Liza Esquibias,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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The 2023 edition opened a month later as Israel intensified its bombing campaign on Gaza, which has since killed more than 67,000 people, injured another 170,000 and razed the Palestinian territory to the ground, prompting accusations of genocide, which Israel has strongly rejected.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The structures were sagging under the weight of so many books.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
20 Oct. 2025
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The dilapidated wooden trim and sagging porticos were spruced up a few years ago after preservationists complained to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, but the upstairs windows reveal glimpses of peeling paint, crumbling plaster, and collapsing ceilings inside.—
Kim Velsey,
Curbed,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Healthy people infected with salmonella may experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever.—
Eva Wen,
jsonline.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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Some ferrets that drank contaminated raw milk became infected, but those that ate contaminated raw milk cheese did not.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The trope of male loneliness is a common one, whether played for comedic effect, analyzed for its debilitating impact on society, or both.—
Justin Williams,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
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Battling the debilitating symptoms of a late-stage brain tumor, his grasp on reality becomes increasingly fragile, and as the unlikely duo sets out on the run, old memories blur with the present, dredging up dark secrets from his past.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, said in a blog post on Wednesday that the currency intervention has failed and predicted a 15%-30% plunge for the peso is highly likely if voters reject Milei again.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
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Congress failed to pass a budget or temporary funding measure before the federal fiscal year ended on October 1, forcing many federal agencies to cease all non-mandatory operations.—
Aliss Higham,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Weaken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weaken. Accessed 1 Nov. 2025.
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