incapacitate
verb
in·ca·pac·i·tate
ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt 
incapacitated; incapacitating
1
: to deprive of capacity or natural power : disable
an injury that incapacitated her
learned how to incapacitate an attacker
2
: to make legally incapable or ineligible
Infancy does not incapacitate the infant from bringing the action …—
Henry v. City of New York, 724 N.E.2d 372 (1999)
Henry v. City of New York, 724 N.E.2d 372 (1999)Examples of incapacitate in a Sentence
The class teaches you how to incapacitate an attacker.
The stroke left her completely incapacitated.
He was incapacitated by the pain.
a computer system incapacitated by software problems
Recent Examples on the Web
In the first half of the Super Bowl against Cincinnati, Beckham suffered a complete ACL tear and was incapacitated.
—Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The two climbers, 47 and 50 years old, were requesting assistance, saying they were incapacitated and unable to continue their route.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Detectives identified the female in the video, who was incapacitated.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 7 Feb. 2026
The radiation can incapacitate critical civilian and military electronic infrastructure.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
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Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The two climbers, 47 and 50 years old, were requesting assistance, saying they were incapacitated and unable to continue their route.
—Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Detectives identified the female in the video, who was incapacitated.
—Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 7 Feb. 2026
The radiation can incapacitate critical civilian and military electronic infrastructure.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 3 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incapacitate. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
incapacitate
verb
in·ca·pac·i·tate
ˌin-kə-ˈpas-ə-ˌtāt
incapacitated; incapacitating
: to make incapable : disable
Legal Definition
incapacitate
transitive verb
in·ca·pac·i·tate
ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt
incapacitated; incapacitating
1
: to make legally incapable or ineligible
mental illness alone will not incapacitate a person from making a valid contract—Landmark Med. Ctr. v. Gauthier, 635 A.2d 1145 (1994)
Landmark Med. Ctr. v. Gauthier, 635 A.2d 1145 (1994)2
: to deprive of capacity or natural power
an injury that incapacitates the employee
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