as in to use
to remove parts from a machine, car, etc., to repair or build another one
He cannibalized one washing machine to fix another. Many parts of the engine were cannibalized from older cars.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of cannibalize
Landlords are lowering rents, raising concessions, and competing fiercely for tenants, even if that means cannibalizing older and less competitive developments.
—
Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
The conventional wisdom that all of these international contenders would cannibalize each other seems to have been misguided; with the Globes at least, this global roster appears to be lifting each other up.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2025
Entertainment Golf Is an On-Ramp, Not a Replacement Despite concerns that simulator bars and entertainment venues might cannibalize traditional golf, data shows the opposite.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
Devoting more funding to denial capabilities risks cannibalizing resources for military platforms more capable of threatening punishment, such as stealthy bombers and submarines armed with cruise missiles.
—Zack Cooper, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cannibalize
Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 22 Jan. 2026
The conventional wisdom that all of these international contenders would cannibalize each other seems to have been misguided; with the Globes at least, this global roster appears to be lifting each other up.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 8 Dec. 2025
Entertainment Golf Is an On-Ramp, Not a Replacement Despite concerns that simulator bars and entertainment venues might cannibalize traditional golf, data shows the opposite.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
Devoting more funding to denial capabilities risks cannibalizing resources for military platforms more capable of threatening punishment, such as stealthy bombers and submarines armed with cruise missiles.
—Zack Cooper, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cannibalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cannibalize
Verb
-
Trump has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to agree to constrain its nuclear program and over Tehran's crackdown on nationwide protests.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Discoverability, most people just use algorithms to find music nowadays.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
It was later recycled by Obama, who in 2010 directed NASA to pursue the SLS as a new moon-capable rocket, including the use of engines and solid rocket boosters used from the Space Shuttle Program.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
-
All that isn’t used is recycled.—
Donna Gordon Blankinship,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cannibalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cannibalize. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
