CANNIBALIZING Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

cannibalizing

verb

present participle of cannibalize

as in using

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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 cannibalizing Nevertheless, Miller is not worried about the two cars cannibalizing each other’s sales. — James Morris, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026 At that level, the spike in yields may start cannibalizing demand from equities. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 23 July 2026 But on top of that, many series decide to submit only one episode per category to keep from cannibalizing their own vote totals. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 20 June 2026 Rather than cannibalizing the lean-back view, the two screens stack, pointing to an audience that has normalized simultaneous fast and slow consumption rather than choosing between them. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 18 June 2026 Whether there’s enough demand to soak up this flood of new equity without cannibalizing the tech giants that have been leading the market higher for years is an active debate on Wall Street at the moment. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 11 June 2026 Now chatbots are cannibalizing the traditional search engine. — Will Oremus, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026 Some of those consequences will be borne by the production’s cast and crew, with the leak possibly cannibalizing viewership when the movie officially premieres on Paramount+ in October. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026 Analysts today describe an institution constrained by shortages of fuel and spare parts and increasingly dependent on domestic improvisation — modifying, repurposing and cannibalizing older systems to keep them operational. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cannibalizing

Verb

Carrick using Mbeumo as a centre-forward is not new — but the way United’s forward line is gelling around him is.

— Cerys Jones, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
In Little Rock, former Police Chief Heath Helton, who stepped down in May, was a strong advocate for using technology like license plate reader cameras to support the department's operations.

— Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of using

Browse Nearby Words

cannibalizes

cannibalizing

cannikin

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Cannibalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cannibalizing. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of cannibalizing

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on cannibalizing

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

zeugma

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes