1
as in to paralyze
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
the malfunctioning of a single component can incapacitate the engine
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of incapacitate
One shot him with a 40-millimeter round, which is designed to incapacitate people without killing them.
—
Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
Norman Hunter, 48, of Dolton, also was struck by a car while incapacitated, the medical examiner’s office said.
—Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
The film, starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson and slated to hit theaters October 2, follows Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson), a struggling writer who is hired to complete a successful book series after its author, Verity Crawford (Hathaway), is incapacitated.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei’s absence from public life has raised speculation that he could be incapacitated or dead.
—Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2026
Norman Hunter, 48, of Dolton, also was struck by a car while incapacitated, the medical examiner’s office said.
—Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
The film, starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson and slated to hit theaters October 2, follows Lowen Ashleigh (Johnson), a struggling writer who is hired to complete a successful book series after its author, Verity Crawford (Hathaway), is incapacitated.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei’s absence from public life has raised speculation that he could be incapacitated or dead.
—Mike Brest, The Washington Examiner, 22 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for incapacitate
Verb
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The Vietnam War and Watergate had spawned a paralyzing sense of national distrust, and New Hollywood had reflected that reality beautifully but pessimistically.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
23 May 2026
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The attacks paralyzed Davis as authorities searched for a suspect before detaining and arresting a disheveled Dominguez in May, days after the first fatal attack.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
23 May 2026
Verb
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Trump signed an executive order to impose a tariff on any goods from countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, a move that could further cripple the island.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
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But the sanctions haven't crippled Cuba's leadership, as some had hoped.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Future decisions embracing those limits could further undermine the landmark voting law, long considered the crown jewel of the civil rights movement, and hamper the ability of voting rights groups and individual voters to file lawsuits alleging violations of the measure.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
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Sandweg said one of the director's most underappreciated responsibilities is managing that internal fault line, ensuring that ERO's highly visible arrest operations do not undermine HSI's ability to cultivate the confidential informants and foreign partnerships on which its work depends.—
Philip Wang,
Time,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Police are investigating an east Fort Worth shooting that injured a man Sunday night.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
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Alcaraz injured his wrist at the Barcelona Open last month, forcing him out of the French Open that starts this weekend.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
Verb
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Joshua Booth, 51, was charged with one count of willfully or maliciously torture, maim or mutilate an animal kept for companionship or pleasure causing death, a category B felony under Nevada law, according to the Clark County District Attorney's Office.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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These armed hostilities have maimed, mutilated and killed millions of human beings — many of them innocent civilians.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Verb
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The pair intended to hit additional targets the day of the mosque shooting but may have stopped because one of them was wounded by an armed security officer at the mosque, federal law enforcement officials told CNN.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
24 May 2026
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Chester Leonard rehabilitates wounded bald eagles and other large raptors at the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke.—
DANA HEDGPETH THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
24 May 2026
Verb
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Flock says that communities using its cameras may grant data access to federal agencies, but that sharing with federal agencies is disabled by default.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
19 May 2026
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That said, Mazda deserves some credit for including a dedicated shortcut button to quickly disable the more intrusive driver assistance alerts — something many motorists will appreciate.—
Matthew MacConnell,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Also etched in the base of the memorial are the names of the many Chicago firefighters killed in the line of duty.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
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Jason Ulseth, the Riverkeeper’s executive director, estimated there are thousands of dead fish in the river and called it the worst fish kill he’s seen in his 20 years with the organization.—
Drew Kann,
AJC.com,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incapacitate. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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