cannibalizes

verb

present tense third-person singular of cannibalize
as in uses
to remove parts from a machine, car, etc., to repair or build another one He cannibalized one washing machine to fix another. Many parts of the engine were cannibalized from older cars.

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of cannibalizes Terrified of losing speculative momentum, Google threw its immense cash reserves into an arms race that actively cannibalizes its own business model. — Sunil Sharan, Fortune, 27 May 2026 To some extent, the cool commercial logic of the fashion industry—which transforms beautiful, original works into cheaply reproducible goods, season after season—echoes that of Hollywood, which regularly cannibalizes and, yes, franchises its greatest successes. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026 But if the workforce can’t scale with those policies, the policy just cannibalizes itself. — Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cannibalizes
  1. uses
  2. recycles
Verb
  • The department said the policies encouraged schools to conceal from parents whether their child uses different pronouns and allowed schools to print a different name on diplomas without parental knowledge.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Your immune system needs iron to fight infections, and your body uses iron to make hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from your lungs to other organs and tissues.
    — Anahad O’Connor, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of uses
Verb
  • Pothole Heroes uses an infrared asphalt restoration process that recycles existing pavement.
    — Jane Imbody, Cincinnati Enquirer, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Nike recycles the shoes to make new athletic apparel, sports courts, and tracks, playgrounds, and more.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of recycles

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Cite this Entry

“Cannibalizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cannibalizes. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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