incapacitate

verb

incapacitated; incapacitating
Synonyms of incapacitatenext

transitive verb

1
: to deprive of capacity or natural power : disable
an injury that incapacitated her
learned how to incapacitate an attacker
2
: to make legally incapable or ineligible
Infancy does not incapacitate the infant from bringing the action …—Henry v. City of New York, 724 N.E.2d 372 (1999)

Examples of incapacitate in a Sentence

The class teaches you how to incapacitate an attacker. The stroke left her completely incapacitated. He was incapacitated by the pain. a computer system incapacitated by software problems
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In many cases, bullets traveled upward through the body, which can indicate a victim was lying down or otherwise incapacitated, according to the forensic analysis. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026 Freire is accused of raping one of the women while she was incapacitated. — Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 Yandex has run drills for an accident that could incapacitate one of its six data centers, but it was caught unprepared when its three key facilities were hit over four days. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 Now, a poisonous residue on the same crowbar has left him incapacitated. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for incapacitate

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of incapacitate was in 1657

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incapacitate. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

incapacitate

verb
incapacitated; incapacitating
: to make incapable : disable

Legal Definition

incapacitate

transitive verb
incapacitated; incapacitating
1
: to make legally incapable or ineligible
mental illness alone will not incapacitate a person from making a valid contract—Landmark Med. Ctr. v. Gauthier, 635 A.2d 1145 (1994)
2
: to deprive of capacity or natural power
an injury that incapacitates the employee
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