1
as in to soften
to diminish the physical strength of
weeks of hardship in the desert had greatly weakened them
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to fade
to lose bodily strength or vigor
the bodybuilder weakened once she eased off on her workouts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to dilute
to alter (something) for the worse with the addition of foreign or lower-grade substances
weakened the juice with too much water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of weaken
An influx of political appointees would weaken those safeguards, potentially leaving Democratic donors in the cross hairs.
—
Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
The burger giant saw customer visits weaken following an E.coli outbreak that started on October 22 and forced McDonald's to temporarily suspend sales of its Quarter Pounder hamburgers in a fifth of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants.
—Savyata Mishra, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
Microbes, including bacteria, can weaken a person's immunity and contribute to the onset of a cold.1
An itchy, sore throat may accompany a cough and cold.
—Lauren O'Connor, Ms, Health, 10 Feb. 2025
The trust that underpinned Maryland’s politics is fraying, weakened by the bad-faith accusations of our current governor against our former governor.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for weaken
Steven Levitsky, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025
The burger giant saw customer visits weaken following an E.coli outbreak that started on October 22 and forced McDonald's to temporarily suspend sales of its Quarter Pounder hamburgers in a fifth of its 14,000 U.S. restaurants.
—Savyata Mishra, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2025
Microbes, including bacteria, can weaken a person's immunity and contribute to the onset of a cold.1
An itchy, sore throat may accompany a cough and cold.
—Lauren O'Connor, Ms, Health, 10 Feb. 2025
The trust that underpinned Maryland’s politics is fraying, weakened by the bad-faith accusations of our current governor against our former governor.
—Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for weaken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for weaken
Verb
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That helps to soften some of the graphic imagery, but the director says his primary intent was to allow viewers to experience the perspectives of kids.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
21 Feb. 2025
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Following weeks of negotiations, during which DeSantis seemed to soften his attacks on the lawmakers who opposed his plans, the governor signed the sweeping package of immigration laws on February 13.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The resin material looks like solid wood but won’t fade in the sun or require repainting.—
Clint Davis,
People.com,
23 Feb. 2025
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The piece is made from durable cast iron and coated in an enamel glaze to help extend its longevity and prevent it from chipping, scratching, or fading with use.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Powell recommends adding two to three tablespoons of shampoo to an empty bottle that has a nozzle and diluting it with water.—
Annie Blay,
Allure,
13 Feb. 2025
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Rinse your mouth with tap water after drinking, and reduce the amount of lemon in your drink or dilute it with water. — MELISSA NIEVES, LND, RD, MEDICAL EXPERT BOARD Summary Lemons are full of beneficial nutrients, especially vitamin C.—
Melissa Nieves,
Verywell Health,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
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None of the 60 employees inside SPS Technologies, which manufactures fasteners mainly for the aerospace industry, was injured after explosions set off the fire.—
Saleen Martin,
USA TODAY,
20 Feb. 2025
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No one was injured during the robbery, and detectives are investigating.—
Deanese Williams-Harris,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Golden State dared Houston to shoot jumpers, mixing in zones and sagging off their shooters to negate the young Rockets’ elite athletes.—
Danny Emerman,
The Mercury News,
14 Feb. 2025
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When hotel staff noticed that fronds on the trees were starting to sag, an arborist was brought in to diagnose the problem.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 Feb. 2025
Verb
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For one thing, the current versions of the H5N1 virus that are infecting animals don’t seem very good at infecting humans.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN,
18 Feb. 2025
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In July 2021, the pope underwent a three-hour surgery to remove part of his colon, in response to diverticulitis, a condition that can infect or inflame the colon.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Chloe Broad, 24, was struggling with debilitating exhaustion last year.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
People.com,
14 Feb. 2025
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In addition to facing unbearable losses, both had also unknowingly inhaled toxic debris that would spark a series of debilitating illnesses.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Oilers failed to shut down Michkov, though, who had his second career 3-point effort and could be rejuvenated for the stretch run.—
Kevin Kurz,
The Athletic,
23 Feb. 2025
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According to the January 29 data, cases of illness were reported in California, Illinois, Massachusetts,, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, In a break from its usual conduct, the CDC has failed to update its tracking webpages to include either outbreak.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA TODAY,
23 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Weaken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weaken. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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