TOP

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

debilitate

verb
 
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt/
 
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt/
(formal)
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they debilitate
 
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt/
 
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪt/
he / she / it debilitates
 
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪts/
 
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪts/
past simple debilitated
 
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪtɪd/
 
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪtɪd/
past participle debilitated
 
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪtɪd/
 
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪtɪd/
-ing form debilitating
 
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪtɪŋ/
 
/dɪˈbɪlɪteɪtɪŋ/
jump to other results
  1. debilitate somebody/something to make somebody’s body or mind weaker
    • The troops were severely debilitated by hunger and disease.
  2. debilitate something to make a country, an organization, etc. weaker
    • Prolonged strike action debilitated the industry.
  3. Word Originmid 16th cent.: from Latin debilitat- ‘weakened’, from the verb debilitare, from debilitas, from debilis ‘weak’.
See debilitate in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
alloy
noun
 
 
From the Topic
Physics and chemistry
C2
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day