incapacitate
verb
in·ca·pac·i·tate
ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt 
incapacitated; incapacitating
1
: to deprive of capacity or natural power : disable
an injury that incapacitated her
learned how to incapacitate an attacker
2
: to make legally incapable or ineligible
Infancy does not incapacitate the infant from bringing the action …—
Henry v. City of New York, 724 N.E.2d 372 (1999)
Examples of incapacitate in a Sentence
The class teaches you how to incapacitate an attacker.
The stroke left her completely incapacitated.
He was incapacitated by the pain.
a computer system incapacitated by software problems
Recent Examples on the Web
The suspect advanced on police after a roughly seven-minute standoff and officers deployed stun guns, which failed to incapacitate him, according to Minch.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Munoz-Guatemala was not incapacitated by the Taser, prosecutors said, and kept driving, taking Ross the length of a football field in 12 seconds.
—Ryan J. Foley, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2026
The administration, for instance, has tried to incapacitate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
—Emily Badger, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Dysentery and scurvy ravaged the vessel, killing or incapacitating many on board.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for incapacitate
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Cite this Entry
“Incapacitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/incapacitate. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
incapacitate
verb
in·ca·pac·i·tate
ˌin-kə-ˈpas-ə-ˌtāt
incapacitated; incapacitating
: to make incapable : disable
Legal Definition
incapacitate
transitive verb
in·ca·pac·i·tate
ˌin-kə-ˈpa-sə-ˌtāt
incapacitated; incapacitating
1
: to make legally incapable or ineligible
mental illness alone will not incapacitate a person from making a valid contract—Landmark Med. Ctr. v. Gauthier, 635 A.2d 1145 (1994)
2
: to deprive of capacity or natural power
an injury that incapacitates the employee
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