cannibalize

[ kan-uh-buh-lahyz ]

/ ˈkæn ə bəˌlaɪz /

verb (used with object), can·ni·bal·ized, can·ni·bal·iz·ing.

to remove parts, equipment, assets, employees, etc., from (an item, product, or business) in order to use them in another: to cannibalize old airplanes for replacement parts.

to cut into; cause to become reduced; diminish: New products introduced in the next six months will cannibalize sales from established lines.

verb (used without object), can·ni·bal·ized, can·ni·bal·iz·ing.

to act cannibalistically; practice cannibalism.

Nearby words

cannery, cannes, cannetille, cannibal, cannibalism, cannibalize, cannikin, canning, canning basin, cannizzaro, cannock

Also especially British, can·ni·bal·ise.

Origin of cannibalize

First recorded in 1940–45; cannibal + -ize

Related forms

can·ni·bal·i·za·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for cannibalise

cannibalize

cannibalise

/ (ˈkænɪbəˌlaɪz) /

verb

(tr) to use (serviceable parts from one machine or vehicle) to repair another, esp as an alternative to using new parts

Derived Forms

cannibalization or cannibalisation, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012