cannibalize

verb

can·ni·bal·ize ˈka-nə-bə-ˌlīz

cannibalized; cannibalizing

: to take salvageable parts from (something, such as a disabled machine) for use in building or repairing another machine

: to make use of (a part taken from one thing) in building, repairing, or creating something else

: to deprive of an essential part or element in creating or sustaining another facility or enterprise

the energy system has begun cannibalizing the economic system it is supposed to fuel—

Barry Commoner

: to use or draw on material of (another writer, an earlier work, etc.)

a biography that cannibalizes previous biographies

: to take (sales) away from an existing product by selling or being sold as a similar but new product usually from the same manufacturer

also : to affect (something, such as an existing product) adversely by cannibalizing sales

astronomy, of a celestial object : to incorporate mass from (a nearby object) through gravitational attraction

But some stellar black holes make themselves known because they exist in a binary systems as the companion to a normal star, which they are cannibalizing.—

John Noble Wilford

intransitive verb

: to practice cannibalism

: to cannibalize one unit for the sake of another of the same kind

cannibalization

ˌka-nə-bə-lə-ˈzā-shən

noun

Did you know?

During World War II, military personnel often used salvageable parts from disabled vehicles and aircraft to repair other vehicles and aircraft. This sacrifice of one thing for the sake of another of its kind must have reminded some folks of cannibalism by humans and animals because the process came to be known as cannibalizing. The armed forces of this time were also known to cannibalize—that is, to take away personnel from—units to build up other units. It didn't take long for this military slang to become civilianized. Since its demobilization, the term has been used in a variety of contexts.

Examples of cannibalize in a Sentence

He cannibalized one washing machine to fix another. Many parts of the engine were cannibalized from older cars.

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Putin has cut reinvestment in its industrial base and seized control of much private enterprise, cannibalizing its once mighty industrial strength. —

Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian, TIME, 21 Jan. 2025 For businesses starting with a PLG mindset, expanding upmarket should unlock new client segments without cannibalizing the existing consumer base. —

Amit Ashkenazi, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024 This odd twist turns Leatherface into a kind of anti-hero, slaying the awful people who have a problem with his family … cannibalizing people? —

Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 11 Oct. 2024 Otherwise, both artists and audiences will remain complicit in a system that cannibalizes creativity for profit. —

Virginie Berger, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cannibalize