Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To remove serviceable parts from (damaged airplanes, for example) for use in the repair of other equipment of the same kind.
  • intransitive verb To deprive of vital elements or resources, such as personnel, equipment, or funding, for use elsewhere.
  • intransitive verb To draw on as a major source.
  • intransitive verb To practice cannibalism on.
  • intransitive verb To practice cannibalism.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • verb same as cannibalise.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Alternative form of cannibalise.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb use parts of something to repair something else
  • verb eat human flesh

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • You cannibalize and that's why we use the term cannibalize because that's exactly what is happening not only to us, but to others.

    SeekingAlpha.com: Home Page 2008

  • The problem is that banks may be reluctant to "cannibalize" on their overdraft fee income with lower-cost loans, Bair wrote in a 2005 report when she taught at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

    Anger at bank overdraft fees gets hotter, bigger and louder 2009

  • And now we arrive at a juncture where the budget crisis ostensibly is being used as cover to "cannibalize" the state's education system, quite possibly in an irreparable manner.

    Randall Amster: Worst in Class: How Education in Arizona Became an Economic Casualty 2009

  • Sales of Xience, a drug-eluting stent, or DES, acquired from Guidant, may "cannibalize" Boston Scientific's Taxus sales but appears manageable, according to the Morgan Stanley analyst.

    Boston Scientific's Weakness Seen As Attractive Entry Point 2006

  • This year, Munster estimated, Verizon stands to "cannibalize" the sales of 6.5 million iPhones that might have been sold by AT&T.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • This year, Munster estimated, Verizon stands to "cannibalize" the sales of

    chicagotribune.com - News 2011

  • Reiner said he expects the iPad to "cannibalize" sales of competitors who are trying to sell netbooks.

    SeekingAlpha.com: Home Page Research Recap 2010

  • In addition to the netbook data, Huberty released another chart showing which other device categories iPad would "cannibalize" (with some fava beans and a nice Chianti, no doubt).

    Latest from Computerworld 2010

  • In addition to the netbook data, Huberty released another chart showing which other device categories iPad would "cannibalize" (with some fava beans and a nice Chianti, no doubt).

    Latest from Computerworld 2010

  • His intent, he said, is to attract new people to yoga rather than "cannibalize" the existing market by taking other studios 'customers.

    Aspen Times - Top Stories Scott Condon The Aspen Times Aspen 2010

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