as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
the heart surgery debilitated the college athlete beyond his worst fears
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1
as in deterioration
a gradual sinking and wasting away of mind or body
the debilitation that all the prisoners of war had experienced during their captivity
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2
as in weakness
the quality or state of lacking physical strength or vigor
attributed the patient's general debilitation to an iron deficiency
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Examples of debilitate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lori Youmshajekian, WIRED, 23 Sep. 2024
These misshapen cells clog blood vessels, damaging vital organs and causing unpredictable, debilitating attacks of pain.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 19 Sep. 2024
At 14, the onset of her menstrual cycle brought debilitating symptoms.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY, 10 Oct. 2024
In 2019, Eilish opened up about experiencing debilitating panic attacks before her When We All Fall Asleep tour, and detailed how depression had led to self-harm and thoughts of suicide early in her teens.
—Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for debilitate 
Verb
And for millions of women, these debilitating attacks aren’t just an occasional experience but a recurring ordeal.
—Lori Youmshajekian, WIRED, 23 Sep. 2024
These misshapen cells clog blood vessels, damaging vital organs and causing unpredictable, debilitating attacks of pain.
—Rob Stein, NPR, 19 Sep. 2024
At 14, the onset of her menstrual cycle brought debilitating symptoms.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY, 10 Oct. 2024
In 2019, Eilish opened up about experiencing debilitating panic attacks before her When We All Fall Asleep tour, and detailed how depression had led to self-harm and thoughts of suicide early in her teens.
—Alessandra Codinha, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for debilitate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'debilitate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thesaurus Entries Near debilitate
Cite this Entry
“Debilitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitate. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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