as in weak
lacking bodily strength
I was completely sapped after the first day of hauling logs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in weakened
to diminish the physical strength of
weeks of hard work had sapped her and left her exhausted
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of sapped
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Her happiness became tethered to results that never came and social media pressure that sapped her self-worth.
—Zak Keefer, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
India also battled through nagging injuries that sapped his effectiveness.
—Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2026
However, the effort Betts poured into the transition (and an early-season virus that sapped his strength) seemed to adversely impact his offense.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
These last years of losing Dad in chunks—from his not recognizing me to not remembering what a toothbrush was for—have sapped my fight.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
The illnesses sapped not only Rodriguez’s strength but also her desire to play basketball.
—Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
The Hurricanes made other mistakes at crucial times that sapped momentum.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
Filling in The absence of senior power forward Pharrel Payne (right knee) has sapped the Terps of a productive commodity on both ends of the floor.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2026
Verb
And in the last quarter-century, relentless drought intensified by climate change has sapped the river’s flow and left its giant reservoirs severely depleted.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Her happiness became tethered to results that never came and social media pressure that sapped her self-worth.
—Zak Keefer, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
India also battled through nagging injuries that sapped his effectiveness.
—Kansas City Star, 4 Feb. 2026
However, the effort Betts poured into the transition (and an early-season virus that sapped his strength) seemed to adversely impact his offense.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 30 Jan. 2026
These last years of losing Dad in chunks—from his not recognizing me to not remembering what a toothbrush was for—have sapped my fight.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
The illnesses sapped not only Rodriguez’s strength but also her desire to play basketball.
—Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2026
The Hurricanes made other mistakes at crucial times that sapped momentum.
—Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026
Filling in The absence of senior power forward Pharrel Payne (right knee) has sapped the Terps of a productive commodity on both ends of the floor.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 3 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sapped
Adjective
-
Bangladesh’s woes have not improved much since Hasina’s ouster, with high inflation and a weak taka currency combining to erode real incomes for ordinary households.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Pinterest posted disappointing fourth-quarter results and gave weak guidance for first-quarter sales.—
Liz Napolitano,Darla Mercado, CFP®,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Bass, who was politically weakened by her performance during the fire and its aftermath, was already facing more than two dozen challengers looking to oust her in the June 2 primary — the vast majority little known to the public and not expected to pose any threat.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
New York — US stocks dropped Thursday, continuing a recent patch of volatility, as Wall Street grappled with persistent nerves about artificial intelligence and economic data showed the labor market weakened over the past two months.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Lydia Romero strained to hear her husband’s feeble voice through the phone.—
Claudia Boyd-Barrett,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
That said, international filmmaking is in feeble shape, partly because of the jambalaya of international co-productions, partly because of the inroads of television aesthetics, and partly because of the cloistered aestheticism of self-conscious art-house cinema.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Today’s top stories Mayor Bass and the fires Bass wanted key findings in a report about the Los Angeles Fire Department’s shortcomings removed or softened, sources told The Times.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Continue to toss and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until cabbage is softened and slightly translucent.—
Gretchen McKay,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
They're exhausted by the constant airing of grievances having little to do with what's actually going on in the country, and by the broad generalizations about, well, everything, that ignore context, nuance and facts to promote a political viewpoint.—
Brenda Looper,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
But critically, there's a gaping hole in the offensive line following the departure of left tackle Dorion Strawn, who exhausted his eligibility.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
It's never wasted in the singing lesson.—
Sari Hitchins,
Parents,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The result is wasted energy, excess heat, and diminishing returns on efficiency improvements that once accompanied each generation of smaller transistors.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sapped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sapped. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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