mutilate
verb
mu·ti·late
ˈmyü-tə-ˌlāt 
mutilated; mutilating; mutilates
1
: to cut up or alter radically so as to make imperfect
The child mutilated the book with his scissors.
a painting mutilated by vandals
2
: to cut off or cause severe damage to a limb or essential part of
His arm was mutilated in the accident.
Examples of mutilate in a Sentence
a painting mutilated by vandals
was lucky not to be mutilated in the car crash
Recent Examples on the Web
Militaries are required under international law to treat the bodies of enemy soldiers with respect, prevent them from being mutilated, and return them to the deceased’s family.
—
Kareem Khadder, CNN, 20 Sep. 2024
As Boyd looks on in horror, Randall—clearly mutilated—wakes up, coughing blood.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
Children’s bodies were so mutilated their parents had trouble identifying them.
—Brett Murphy, ProPublica, 4 Oct. 2024
Sheriff’s deputies this week discovered approximately 200 roosters — all mutilated so that knives could be attached to them — during a search of an apparent cockfighting pit in Santa Cruz County.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for mutilate 
Kareem Khadder, CNN, 20 Sep. 2024
As Boyd looks on in horror, Randall—clearly mutilated—wakes up, coughing blood.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024
Children’s bodies were so mutilated their parents had trouble identifying them.
—Brett Murphy, ProPublica, 4 Oct. 2024
Sheriff’s deputies this week discovered approximately 200 roosters — all mutilated so that knives could be attached to them — during a search of an apparent cockfighting pit in Santa Cruz County.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for mutilate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mutilate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mutilate
Cite this Entry
“Mutilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutilate. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mutilate
verb
mu·ti·late
ˈmyüt-ᵊl-ˌāt
mutilated; mutilating
1
: to make imperfect by cutting or altering severely : ruin
mutilate a play
2
: to cut off or destroy a necessary part (as a limb) : maim
Medical Definition
mutilate
transitive verb
mu·ti·late
ˈmyüt-ᵊl-ˌāt
mutilated; mutilating
: to cut off or cause severe damage to a limb or essential part of
mutilate a body
also
: castrate sense 1
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share