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
-
have cannibalizedperfect
-
has cannibalizedperfect
-
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
There’s at least one executive in the artificial intelligence space who doesn’t think AI will cannibalize software companies: Nvidia’s Jensen Huang.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 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
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
Media executives are trying to build profitable streaming services even as cable providers argue they are subsidizing a business that cannibalizes their own.
From Reuters ● Sep. 5, 2023
For Meta, there’s risk that Threads cannibalizes Instagram’s revenue over Twitter’s.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2023
Stuff enough gadgets and appliances into a second kitchen and at some point it cannibalizes the main one.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 26, 2022
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
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
He said that 24 of the last 42 net new U.S. warehouse openings were affecting Costco’s existing markets, “with many of these cannibalized locations being extremely high-volume.”
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 5, 2026
Unfortunately for Holly, in her haste she’d grabbed one of the helmets cannibalized by Artemis Fowl.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
“We are seeing growing evidence that AI is augmenting workflows rather than cannibalizing them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
And rather than cannibalizing demand for classical computing, the firm expects demand to ramp up, to the tune of $100 billion by 2040.
From Barron's ● May 6, 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
In previous investment cycles, Meta would launch new formats to keep up with competitors at the cost of cannibalizing its existing products.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 7, 2025
Sometimes these projects acquired construction materials by cannibalizing old monuments, thereby hastening the process of creating ruins.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
