weaken
Americanverb (used with object)
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- Synonyms:
- invalidate, minimize, impair, reduce, lower, diminish, lessen, deplete, exhaust, sap, undermine, enervate, debilitate, enfeeble
- Antonyms:
- strengthen
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Phonetics. to change (a speech sound) to an articulation requiring less effort, as from geminate to nongeminate or from stop to fricative.
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- reweaken verb
- unweakened adjective
- unweakening adjective
- weakener noun
Etymology
Origin of weaken
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Jacob Funk Kirkegaard of V22 Research wrote in a note Saturday that the initial operation appears designed to weaken Iran’s ability to coordinate retaliation by targeting leadership and missile infrastructure.
From Barron's
“There is no modern precedent for regime change achieved through air power alone. Bombs can degrade infrastructure. They can weaken capabilities. But they do not manufacture organized political alternatives,” he said.
January’s jobs growth was the largest since December of 2024, allaying fears about a weakening labor market.
From Barron's
January’s jobs growth was the largest since December of 2024, allaying fears about a weakening labor market.
From Barron's
That constraint has now weakened—and in many cases, it has been broken.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
