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Definition of cannibalize verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

cannibalize

verb
 
/ˈkænɪbəlaɪz/
 
/ˈkænɪbəlaɪz/
(British English also cannibalise)
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they cannibalize
 
/ˈkænɪbəlaɪz/
 
/ˈkænɪbəlaɪz/
he / she / it cannibalizes
 
/ˈkænɪbəlaɪzɪz/
 
/ˈkænɪbəlaɪzɪz/
past simple cannibalized
 
/ˈkænɪbəlaɪzd/
 
/ˈkænɪbəlaɪzd/
past participle cannibalized
 
/ˈkænɪbəlaɪzd/
 
/ˈkænɪbəlaɪzd/
-ing form cannibalizing
 
/ˈkænɪbəlaɪzɪŋ/
 
/ˈkænɪbəlaɪzɪŋ/
jump to other results
  1. cannibalize something (business) (of a company) to reduce the sales of one of its products by introducing a similar new product
    • We believe the two perfumes appeal to different buyers and won’t cannibalize one another’s sales.
  2. cannibalize something to take the parts of a machine, vehicle, etc. and use them to repair or build another
    • The turbine building was partly stripped and cannibalized for other parts of the building.
    Topics Engineeringc2
  3. (of an animal) to eat an animal of its own kind
    • Female spiders of several species will cannibalize courting males.
See cannibalize in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
previously
adverb
 
 
From the Word list
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