variants
also kaputt
1
as in doomed
facing certain defeat, disaster, or death
once the Germans were forced to retreat from Stalingrad, the Nazi cause was kaput
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in obsolete
having passed its time of use or usefulness
hard-line Soviet-style Communism became kaput in Russia
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in malfunctioning
not being in working order
the heating system went kaput on the coldest day of the year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of kaput
Now all three of those competitors are kaput, felled by runs on deposits during the biggest banking crisis in a decade and a half.
—
Rob Copeland, New York Times, 14 June 2023
The Stooges are now functionally kaput—of the original lineup, only Pop is left.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2019
At least not on Sunday afternoon, nearly a full two days after the Clippers were supposed to be done, finished, as kaput as the Kings – those in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
—Jeff Miller, Orange County Register, 29 Apr. 2017
The damages for that less-than-brilliant marketing idea could be as much as $120 million, meaning the company as a whole is pretty much financially kaput.
—Susan Arendt, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2007
Rob Copeland, New York Times, 14 June 2023
The Stooges are now functionally kaput—of the original lineup, only Pop is left.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2019
At least not on Sunday afternoon, nearly a full two days after the Clippers were supposed to be done, finished, as kaput as the Kings – those in Sacramento and Los Angeles.
—Jeff Miller, Orange County Register, 29 Apr. 2017
The damages for that less-than-brilliant marketing idea could be as much as $120 million, meaning the company as a whole is pretty much financially kaput.
—Susan Arendt, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2007
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kaput
Adjective
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Net business investment – the money businesses spend to expand their capital after accounting for their investments to replace obsolete buildings and equipment – is at a relatively low level.—
Christian Weller,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
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At its core, this is a painting about fading: H.M.S. Temeraire was a majestic old warship that had played an important part in the Battle of Trafalgar three decades earlier but, eventually, became militarily obsolete and had to be scrapped for parts.—
Jackson Arn,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Yes, the three-month visa and its archaic application portal deter some travelers, but spending a few months in Hoi An or Hanoi is well worth the hassle.—
Katie Lockhart,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Feb. 2025
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After federal and Senate investigations detailed numerous failures, including an archaic information technology system, the Health Resources and Services Administration announced a modernization initiative in March 2023.—
Annie Waldman,
ProPublica,
22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Palantir — Shares tumbled 8.7% on Monday, on track for its fourth straight down day.—
Brian Evans,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2025
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Does Seattle general manager John Schneider feel the same way about his quarterback, who is coming off a statistically down year?—
Dan Pompei,
The Athletic,
23 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Separately, there's good news for those who had crypto at the now defunct FTX crypto exchange.—
Medora Lee,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
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But in 2021, Wilks got a call from a friend who said that Mike Tyson wanted to talk about reviving his defunct cannabis company which had gone bust a few years earlier.—
Will Yakowicz,
Forbes,
16 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Perhaps most notably, both sides deploy decoy vehicles—either inoperative derelicts or inflatable fakes—to draw enemy fire away from real vehicles.—
David Axe,
Forbes,
31 Oct. 2024
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In wartime, however, the calculus changes, because most of the costs are inoperative.—
William C. Wohlforth,
Foreign Affairs,
22 June 2021
Adjective
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The sunk cost fallacy, for example, can lead companies to continue investing in maintaining a physical office space, despite the benefits of remote work.—
Dr. Gleb Tsipursky,
Forbes,
6 Feb. 2023
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The sunk cost fallacy is a bias that behavioral economists say can cause a person to stick with a losing investment.—
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi,
Discover Magazine,
22 Mar. 2022
Adjective
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Serving many different customers The advantages of such a platform include superior image quality, less congested orbits, and natural debris removal as inoperable satellites are pulled down into Earth's atmosphere and burnt up.—
Eric Berger,
Ars Technica,
3 Mar. 2025
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Four refrigeration units were inoperable at the time of the inspection.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacramento Bee,
28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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From helping endangered species recover to protecting food sources, my bill to safeguard biodiversity in our coastal ecosystems is crucial, common-sense legislation.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Orange County Register,
18 Feb. 2025
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Read Next Texas Two rare, endangered whales swim off usual course.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to kaput
Cite this Entry
“Kaput.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kaput. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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