weaponize

American  

[wep-uh-nahyz] / ˈwɛp əˌnaɪz /

verb (used with object)

weaponized, weaponizing

1. to supply or equip with a weapon or weapons.

   to weaponize trucks and helicopters.

2. to develop (a chemical, microorganism, etc.) for use as a weapon, as in biological warfare.

   to weaponize uranium;

   weaponized anthrax.

3. to use as a means to gain a powerful advantage.

   She has been known to weaponize her femininity.

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weaponize British  

/ ˈwɛpəˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to adapt (a chemical, bacillus, etc) in such a way that it can be used as a weapon

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Other Word Forms

• weaponization noun

Etymology

Origin of weaponize

First recorded in 1955–60; weapon ( def. ) + -ize ( def. )

Explanation

To use something in order to deliberately inflict harm on people is to weaponize it. If you start pelting your brother with grapes, he might accuse you of weaponizing your fruit salad. When a group or government weaponizes something, they take an ordinary object and turn it into a weapon. This word was originally used during the Cold War as military jargon. When the U.S. Army added nuclear capabilities to rockets, preparing them for launching, they weaponized them. These days, it's common to describe everything from words to the internet as being weaponized — in fact, you can weaponize anything that can be used to attack someone else.

Example Sentences

“This model incentivizes WISeR contractors to weaponize AI-driven medical determinations not for the sake of efficiency, as it could be used, but for the opportunity to maximize profitability,” Cantwell said in the report.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

Today, Venezuela lacks the ability to disrupt global energy flows or weaponize supply in the way larger producers can.

From Barron's • Jan. 3, 2026

To design, construct, weaponize, and deploy a much larger ship based on an entirely new concept would likely take a decade.

From Slate • Dec. 23, 2025

A longtime cat lover—he lives with his wife and a half-dozen cats in a one-bedroom Manhattan apartment—Sliwa wants to weaponize the city’s feral felines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 7, 2025

Even more concerning, when the nihilism of the darkest corners of the internet catches up to their psyches, “young people weaponize those grievances,” Newsom said — whether that anger turns inward or outward.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2025