as in to weaken
to diminish the physical strength of
the heart surgery debilitated the college athlete beyond his worst fears
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Recent Examples of debilitate
By 4:45 pm, the National Guard brought a tank to rescue the victims, including Herbert Elmore, who survived, albeit with life-long debilitating injuries.
—
Sally Ventura
june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
Some of those viruses and bacteria are harmful to humans, causing diseases that can be debilitating and sometimes lethal without treatment, such as Lyme, babesiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
—Sean Lawrence, The Conversation, 18 June 2025
These resources enable them to better cope with stress, viewing work demands as challenges to be overcome rather than debilitating threats.
—Ellen Choi, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
True to the nature of someone who played through debilitating foot injuries throughout his career, Greenwood did not inform family of his illness until the end of his life.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitate
Sally Ventura
june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
Some of those viruses and bacteria are harmful to humans, causing diseases that can be debilitating and sometimes lethal without treatment, such as Lyme, babesiosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
—Sean Lawrence, The Conversation, 18 June 2025
These resources enable them to better cope with stress, viewing work demands as challenges to be overcome rather than debilitating threats.
—Ellen Choi, Forbes.com, 16 June 2025
True to the nature of someone who played through debilitating foot injuries throughout his career, Greenwood did not inform family of his illness until the end of his life.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for debilitate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debilitate
Verb
-
The first-quarter boom in U.S. trade is weakening, with merchandise trade somewhat atypically declining for the second straight month, according to my analysis of the the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
-
The June jobs report showed strong headline numbers, but the underlying data pointed to a weakening labor market.—
Danny Bakst,
Fortune,
9 July 2025
Verb
-
On the campaign trail, the president spent time courting faith leaders throughout the country, often refusing to soften his language in those venues as well.—
Lalee Ibssa,
ABC News,
14 July 2025
-
By then, Trump had softened his tariff stance and the markets had rebounded accordingly.—
Kate Plummer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debilitate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debilitate. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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