cannibalize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
cannibalizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cannibalized,
past participle, past
-
cannibalizing
present participle
-
to subject to cannibalism.
-
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)
-
cannibalizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cannibalized,
past participle, past
-
cannibalizing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
cannibalizesimple
-
cannibalizessimple
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have cannibalizedperfect
-
has cannibalizedperfect
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am cannibalizingprogressive
-
are cannibalizingprogressive
-
is cannibalizingprogressive
-
have been cannibalizingperfect progressive
-
has been cannibalizingperfect progressive
Past
-
cannibalizedsimple
-
had cannibalizedperfect
-
was cannibalizingprogressive
-
were cannibalizingprogressive
-
had been cannibalizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cannibalize
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
When executed carefully, deploying Disney IP in one flywheel node can actually increase demand in the others, not cannibalize it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
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
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
As prediction markets threaten to cannibalize traditional sportsbooks, one betting operator is doing just fine.
From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026
I dread the time when I shall have to cannibalize the recorder.
From The Issahar Artifacts by Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin) Bone
They think investors will be focused on whether Foundayo cannibalizes any demand for Lily’s other weight-loss drug Zepbound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026
The initiative will likely be a test to whether it cannibalizes higher-priced attendance on other days, Reese said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025
Then there is the ongoing debate in the industry over whether internet gambling cannibalizes physical casinos.
From Seattle Times ● May 8, 2024
For Meta, there’s risk that Threads cannibalizes Instagram’s revenue over Twitter’s.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2023
“It may be better that Telenor cannibalizes itself than someone else doing it.”
From Reuters ● Mar. 1, 2018
Reddit, once the internet’s premier place to talk about the news, was cannibalized by invite-only chatroom platforms like Discord and Telegram.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
“The shows cannibalized themselves by making their show available in snack-size clips after the network airing,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
Google has also shown that AI has expanded, not cannibalized, its search-engine business.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
This time around, yield-sharing between platforms is more common, which has reduced overall outflows but also cannibalized off-platform holdings, Engel explained.
From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026
Unfortunately for Holly, in her haste she’d grabbed one of the helmets cannibalized by Artemis Fowl.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Now, he’s tackling another intractable problem: How to keep artificial-intelligence tools from cannibalizing the publishing industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
But it must be actively defeated; it would be a grave mistake to assume it will dissipate after losing momentum or cannibalizing itself.
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2026
The strong print wasn’t enough to calm investors’ fears about AI cannibalizing the information-technology and consulting sectors.
From Barron's ● Dec. 18, 2025
Everyone was going to be able to be entrepreneurial and make themselves a business without necessarily cannibalizing their souls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
Sometimes these projects acquired construction materials by cannibalizing old monuments, thereby hastening the process of creating ruins.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
