cannibalizing
cannibalizing
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "cannibalizing" is: /ˈkænəbəlaɪzɪŋ/
Syllable Breakdown
can: /ˈkæn/
/k/ - voiceless velar plosive
/æ/ - near-open front unrounded vowel
/n/ - alveolar nasal
ni: /əb/
/ə/ - schwa
/b/ - voiced bilabial plosive
bal: /əlaɪz/
/ə/ - schwa
/l/ - alveolar lateral approximant
/aɪ/ - diphthong
/z/ - voiced alveolar fricative
ing: /ɪŋ/
/ɪ/ - near-close near-front unrounded vowel
/ŋ/ - velar nasal
Word Form Variations
Verb (base form): cannibalize
Third-person singular present: cannibalizes
Past tense: cannibalized
Past participle: cannibalized
Present participle: cannibalizing
Noun: cannibalization
Adjective: cannibalistic
Adverb: cannibalistically
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb
To destroy or consume an existing product, market, or resource by introducing a new, competing one.
Synonyms: undermine, usurp, supplant, erode
Antonyms: bolster, reinforce, enhance, support
To dismantle an item, such as a machine or vehicle, in order to use its parts as components or spares for other similar items.
Synonyms: scavenge, salvage, strip, dismantle
Antonyms: assemble, build, construct, create
To practice cannibalism; to eat one's own kind. This is the literal, biological sense of the word.
Synonyms: consume, devour, prey on
Antonyms: nourish, sustain, protect
Noun (as in "cannibalization")
The act or process of a new product or service taking away sales from an older, existing one from the same company.
Synonyms: erosion, usurpation, attrition
Antonyms: growth, expansion, reinforcement
The act of taking parts from one machine, system, or object to use them for another.
Synonyms: scavenging, salvaging, stripping
Antonyms: assembly, construction, building
Examples of Use
In Business and Economics
"Google was asked about cannibalizing Pixel 7 sales with the release of the Pixel 7a." (Ars Technica, May 2023)
A new retail store location might be opened "knowing that they will inevitably cannibalize each other's sales" but also hoping to "steal market share from nearby competitors." (Investopedia)
Some companies, like Apple, are often seen as deliberately "cannibalizing" sales of older models with the release of newer ones, a strategy they believe will attract new buyers from competitors and increase overall market share. (Investopedia)
In Technology and Manufacturing
The U.S. Air Force plans to retire some of its B-1B bombers to "cannibalize them for spare parts" which are no longer available. (Popular Mechanics, February 2021)
An online publication warned that creating multiple articles on a website that are too similar in topic could lead to "content cannibalization," where the pages compete with each other and weaken the site's overall search engine ranking. (Yoast)
In the maintenance of old equipment, "many parts of the engine were cannibalized from older cars" to keep another one running. (Merriam-Webster)
In Biology and Science
A study on polar bears found that when food is scarce, "males cannibalize cubs." (National Geographic, February 2016)
Scientists have discovered evidence suggesting that the extinction of Neanderthals may have been linked to a gene in early humans that provided resistance to a disease spread through "widespread cannibalism." (Wikipedia)
In Entertainment and Media
In a critique of the entertainment industry, an article argued that Disney is "cannibalizing its own movies" by constantly remaking them. (The Mercury News, August 2019)
A company might host a short-form video on social media to drive traffic to its website, rather than "cannibalizing content consumption from their owned media channels" by posting the full, longer video on a platform like YouTube. (RightMetric)
In Public Discourse
"To fund his war machine, Putin has been ... cannibalizing productive sectors and relying on unsustainable, record deficit spending." (TIME, February 2025)
A columnist remarked that college sports are "cannibalizing itself with the transfer portal and Name, Image & Likeness cash flow." (Miami Herald, March 2025)
A university might establish a committee to promote free speech, but in the eyes of critics, it could be "cannibalizing its mission" by simultaneously imposing restrictions on student expression. (Columbia Daily Spectator, August 2025)
10 Famous Quotes Using Cannibalizing
"If you don't cannibalize yourself, someone else will." (Steve Jobs)
"I'd rather Apple cannibalize Apple than somebody else cannibalize Apple." (Tim Cook)
"The Big 10 and Big 12 will cannibalize their own." (Paul Daugherty, The Enquirer, November 2021)
"The city seemed to drag its feet on the issue, partly out of concerns that [the bike-share program] would cannibalize [the car-share program] ridership." (John Greenfield, Chicago Reader, May 2018)
"A new video has captured a gruesome and little seen side to polar bears: When times are tough, males cannibalize cubs." (Michael Greshko, National Geographic, February 2016)
"Sooner or later Disney will run out of its own movies to cannibalize." (Cicero Estrella, The Mercury News, August 2019)
"This paints a clear picture of a VA forced to cannibalize itself in order to pay for care in the private sector." (Joe Davidson, The Washington Post, June 2018)
"Putin's military production is cannibalizing his country's civilian economy." (Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, February 2025)
"Retiring some of the B-1Bs will allow the Air Force to cannibalize them for spare parts, many of which are no longer available." (Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, February 2021)
"Our culture is essentially cannibalizing its young, destroying the very sources of the content they crave." (Merriam-Webster, citing an example compiled from online sources)
Etymology
The word "cannibalizing" comes from the word "cannibal," which has a fascinating and somewhat grim history.
The story begins with Christopher Columbus. When he first arrived in the Americas, he heard about a group of people in the Caribbean who were said to be fierce and practiced cannibalism. Columbus recorded the name of this group as "Caníbales" or "Caríbales." This name was likely a corruption of "Carib," the name of the people who lived on those islands.
The word "Caníbales" was adopted into Spanish and then into other European languages. Over time, it became a general term to describe any person who eats human flesh. The first known use of "cannibal" in English was in the mid-16th century, referring specifically to these people described by Columbus.
From there, the word evolved. The verb "cannibalize" first appeared in the early 20th century, initially in a military context. Its earliest recorded meaning was the act of "dismantling a piece of equipment to use its parts as spares for another." The idea was that one machine was "eating" or consuming another to stay alive.
This mechanical sense of the word then expanded into business and economics in the 1960s. The new meaning referred to a new product or service "eating into" or taking sales away from an existing one, just as one machine's parts were used to sustain another. This is the sense of the word we often see used today in marketing and business discussions.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Cannibalizing
Cannibalizing sales: A new product or service is so successful that it takes sales away from an older one from the same company.
To cannibalize a vehicle/machine for parts: To take apart an item to use its components to repair another, often when new parts are unavailable.
Cannibalize one's own: To turn against or harm members of one's own group, often to an individual's own benefit.
Cannibalizing market share: When one company's new product erodes the market share of its own existing product, rather than a competitor's.
A self-cannibalizing economy: A system that consumes its own productive sectors or resources to sustain itself, leading to long-term decline.
To cannibalize muscle mass: In a fitness context, this refers to the body breaking down its own muscle tissue for energy, which can happen during extreme dieting.
Don't cannibalize your content: A phrase used in digital marketing and publishing, warning against creating similar content that competes against itself for audience attention and search engine ranking.
A cannibalizing brand: A company that introduces a new product that is a direct threat to the success of an existing one in its own lineup.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of cannibalizing from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
