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

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

“We believe there has been sufficient fleet growth to suggest drivers would have felt some impact by now if rides were being cannibalized,” they say.

From The Wall Street Journal

In this case, it has come from states that have legalized sports betting, such as Nevada, and are worried that the prediction markets could cannibalize their legal offerings and evade their gambling regulations.

From Los Angeles Times

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