defang

verb

de·​fang (ˌ)dē-ˈfaŋ How to pronounce defang (audio)
defanged; defanging; defangs

transitive verb

: to make harmless or less powerful

Examples of defang in a Sentence

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.
Last year’s argument that regulation of generative AI should rest with Congress and, perhaps, the Federal Trade Commission and other watchdog agencies has all but disappeared with the election of President Donald J. Trump and his reliance on tech billionaire Elon Musk to defang federal regulators. Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2025 Hezbollah has been decapitated and defanged by Israel allowing Lebanon to finally elect a new president after years of being blocked by Hezbollah. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2025 The Hezbollah campaign, part of a broader war that has killed thousands of people in Lebanon and displaced more than a million, defanged one of Israel’s greatest adversaries and dealt a blow to Iran’s regional strategy of arming and funding paramilitary groups bent on Israel’s destruction. Mark Mazzetti, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024 In response, the bill's sponsors buckled and effectively defanged the conditionality measures. Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2011 See All Example Sentences for defang

Word History

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of defang was in 1919

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Cite this Entry

“Defang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defang. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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