debilitate
Americanverb (used with object)
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debilitates,
present (3rd person singular)
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debilitated,
past participle, past
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debilitating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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debilitantnoun
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debilitationnoun
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overdebilitateverb (used with object)
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debilitativeadjective
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nondebilitatingadjective
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nondebilitativeadjective
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undebilitatedadjective
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undebilitatingadjective
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undebilitativeadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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debilitatesimple
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debilitatessimple
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have debilitatedperfect
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has debilitatedperfect
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am debilitatingprogressive
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are debilitatingprogressive
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is debilitatingprogressive
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have been debilitatingperfect progressive
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has been debilitatingperfect progressive
Past
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debilitatedsimple
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had debilitatedperfect
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was debilitatingprogressive
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were debilitatingprogressive
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had been debilitatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of debilitate
First recorded in 1525–35; from Latin dēbilitātus (past participle of dēbilitāre ), equivalent to dēbilit-, stem of dēbilis “weak” + -ātus -ate 1
Explanation
To debilitate something is to make it weaker. A bad flu may debilitate your powers of concentration, like the New Year's resolutions that temporarily debilitate bakeries' business. The verb debilitate traces back to the Latin word debilis, meaning “lame, disabled, crippled.” It’s often used to describe what disability or illness does to a person's health, but it can describe anything that has been weakened, like the sense of community that is slowly debilitated by people working longer hours and the lack of sidewalks that in many towns make it harder to walk around and meet the neighbors.
Vocabulary lists containing debilitate
100 SAT Words Beginning with "D"
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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:
Both brothers died of Hungtington’s disease, a genetic disorder that began to severely debilitate them during their 30s.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2025
Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said the sanctions imposed are part of Australia’s efforts to expose cyber criminals and debilitate groups engaging in cyber attacks.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 22, 2024
Losing a player of that caliber – a perennial All-Star and former MVP -- would debilitate most teams.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2020
But he happened to join the lab of a biologist who was studying a virus that can debilitate the blight fungus.
From New York Times ● Apr. 30, 2020
He needed to be better about that, about letting the nightmares debilitate him.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Ultimately, the goal is to identify potential genetic targets to treat or even cure the chronic metabolic disease that affects and sometimes debilitates more than 400 million adults worldwide, according to the International Diabetes Federation.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 19, 2024
The more the gestation progresses, the more her mind debilitates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2023
For this Global Reach Challenge, Sir Ranulph will have to overcome vertigo and Cheyne-Stokes, a condition which debilitates his breathing above 16,000 feet.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2016
It debilitates me to think that my actions have caused her emotional and physical stress that is completely unwarranted and unfair.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 7, 2016
Long hair, of course, requires more nutriment than scanty locks, and some physicians have been of opinion that their great length debilitates.
From Curiosities of Medical Experience by J. G. (John Gideon) Millingen
It has effectively debilitated us from being able to enforce it in most contexts we’ve used it in in the past.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2026
It causes symptoms such as extreme fatigue and post-exertional malaise, which means that simple physical or mental activities can leave people completely debilitated.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026
On the other hand, a greatly debilitated Cuban government has few cards to play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 2026
Too much of it, alas, is spent recalling now dead or sadly debilitated family and friends.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
An infection—probably typhoid fever— had left her so debilitated the year before that she had needed twenty-four-hour nursing care for months.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
An investigation into what is causing her debilitating symptoms - which she experiences daily - will begin next week.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
"Cancer immunotherapy works by creating a lasting immune response against tumors, but that same persistence may also contribute to recurring inflammatory side effects that can be debilitating for patients," Nurieva said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
Chronic low back pain is a debilitating and costly medical issue that affects 13% of Americans.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Guilfoyle’s attorney, Binnall, said: “Ambassador Guilfoyle will never apologize for offering to help shed light on a case in which 1,000 children underwent unnecessary, invasive, and debilitating surgeries at that man’s hands.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Quite debilitating seemed like a bit of an understatement.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
