cannibalize

Definition of cannibalizenext
as in to use
to remove parts from a machine, car, etc., to repair or build another one He cannibalized one washing machine to fix another. Many parts of the engine were cannibalized from older cars.

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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.
Recent Examples of cannibalize Bally’s, meanwhile, has vehemently argued that allowing VGTs will cannibalize revenue from its 4,000 permanent facility slot machines. — Joe Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026 The smaller convenience-centric store cannibalized online sales by a similar amount but generated no significant increase in total net revenue. — Ayşe Çetinel, Harvard Business Review, 18 Aug. 2026 This is only slightly more massive than the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy (approximately 400 million solar masses), which the Milky Way is currently cannibalizing and an order of magnitude less massive than the Small Magellanic Cloud. — Keith Cooper, Space.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Some users may not want their Twitch content used to train Amazon AI because of a lack of financial benefit, concerns that AI could cannibalize their business, or an aversion to the broader Amazon conglomerate. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cannibalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cannibalize
Verb
  • All three said West Point appears to be circumventing the judge's ruling by using a different justification to continue to enforce its speech rules.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Behind the scenes, Muse uses a collection of digital notes and instructions to guide its personality, actions and memory, all of which can be reviewed, edited and deleted.
    — Marty Swant, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • During sleep, neurons go quiet, ROS are cleared, and damaged mitochondria are repaired or recycled.
    — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • This is a circular design that aims to maximize mono-material construction, which will allow the zipper to be recycled together with the garment.
    — Cleo Levin, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Cannibalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cannibalize. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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