1
as in to paralyze
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
the malfunctioning of a single component can incapacitate the engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to cripple
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the stroke left her completely incapacitated
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incapacitate
The vessel is decked out with everything from a hyper-precise sonar system that continuously scans the seabed to a Deadman’s Switch that forces automatic ascent if the pilot is incapacitated.
—
Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 16 Mar. 2026
Fortunately, Future Nick has also come armed with a plan to stop it, the first step of which is to incapacitate Present Nick (Vaughn plays both).
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026
The defendant at the trial, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, argued that its policy covered only losses resulting from a medically verified, incapacitating illness.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2026
The government claims the brothers used force and drugs to incapacitate the women.
—Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 16 Mar. 2026
Fortunately, Future Nick has also come armed with a plan to stop it, the first step of which is to incapacitate Present Nick (Vaughn plays both).
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026
The defendant at the trial, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, argued that its policy covered only losses resulting from a medically verified, incapacitating illness.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2026
The government claims the brothers used force and drugs to incapacitate the women.
—Miami Herald, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitate
Verb
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And when in doubt or if you’re paralyzed with the paradox of two choices, stick to room temperature.—
Audrey Noble,
Vogue,
28 Mar. 2026
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Locals take photos of two bulk carriers anchored in Muscat, Oman, March 25, 2026, as Tehran keeps international maritime traffic largely paralyzed in the Strait of Hormuz amid the war.—
Ramy Inocencio,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Iranian missile attacks this month crippled a key industrial center in Qatar, which produces about one-third of the world’s helium.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
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By the mid-1980s, both sides were targeting oil shipments to cripple each other’s economies.—
Max Saltman,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Kent’s departure quickly became a flashpoint inside conservative media, with some praising him for taking a stand and others accusing him of undermining the administration during wartime.—
Steve Mollman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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Time for Warren Buffett to get the owners in the Casa Grande ballroom and run a cost-benefit analysis on the value of undermining the league’s integrity in a sport in bed with gambling against the price of paying officials.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That night, Kane was injured, and Carsley tried to pick the boldest, most talented team possible, with Jude Bellingham nominally up front, and Foden, Palmer, Gordon and Bukayo Saka in, too.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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The conditions for the three people injured in the shooting wasn't immediately available.—
Siafa Lewis,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Old men send young boys to fight and risk maiming or death for the rest of us.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
27 Mar. 2026
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Recently, when Gonzalez maimed three fingers in a firework accident and spent weeks in the hospital, his neighbors house-sat and guarded his belongings.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Emirates Global Aluminium confirmed an Iranian attack wounded several and caused significant damage to its plant.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
29 Mar. 2026
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In a post on X accompanied by photos of wounded children, Fitrat said that preliminary figures indicated that one person had been killed and 16 others were wounded, mostly women and children.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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To disable it, admins must go to Admin console > Apps > Google Workspace > Settings for Drive and Docs > Malware and Ransomware.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
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Some of these technologies are essential for ensuring the proper functioning of the service or website and cannot be disabled, while others are optional but serve to enhance the user experience in various ways.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And years later, when the group splintered into increasingly militant factions, some took part in a disastrous bank robbery that killed an innocent guard and two police officers—three men who were just doing their jobs that day, and who left behind their own kids, their own families.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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Three people were killed when a tour helicopter broke apart near Honolulu in April 2019, and that December seven people died - including three children - when one crashed in turbulent weather near the famed Na Pali Coast.—
JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitate. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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