cannibalize

American  

[kan-uh-buh-lahyz] / ˈkæn ə bəˌlaɪz /

especially British, cannibalise

verb (used with object)

cannibalized, cannibalizing

1. to subject to cannibalism.

2. 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.

3. to cut into; cause to become reduced; diminish.

   New products introduced in the next six months will cannibalize sales from established lines.

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verb (used without object)

cannibalized, cannibalizing

1. to act cannibalistically; practice cannibalism.

cannibalize British  

/ ˈkænɪbəˌlaɪz /

verb

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

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Other Word Forms

• cannibalization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of cannibalize

First recorded in 1940–45; cannibal + -ize

Example Sentences

The idea that AI won’t cannibalize artists and their work on a massive scale is refreshingly utopian, but in many ways so was the fair itself.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

Google’s advances in AI are powering solid growth in search, and offsetting fears that its Gemini agent would cannibalize its biggest revenue contributor.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Defying fears that artificial intelligence could cannibalize the software sector, Figma achieved record revenue in its latest quarter as its customer growth and sales accelerated.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 18, 2026

Their executives insisted they would never cannibalize sales outside China by exporting from those joint ventures, recalls Michael Dunne of market research and advisory Dunne Insights.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025

I dread the time when I shall have to cannibalize the recorder.

From The Issahar Artifacts by Bone, Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin)