mutilate
verb
mu·ti·late
ˈmyü-tə-ˌlāt 
mutilated; mutilating; mutilates
1
: to cut up or alter radically so as to make imperfect
The child mutilated the book with his scissors.
a painting mutilated by vandals
2
: to cut off or cause severe damage to a limb or essential part of
His arm was mutilated in the accident.
Examples of mutilate in a Sentence
a painting mutilated by vandals
was lucky not to be mutilated in the car crash
Recent Examples on the Web
Anderson was arrested days later and charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and arson in connection with Robinson's killing, according to Wisconsin court records reviewed by PEOPLE.
—
Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 9 Aug. 2024
Beyond the marketing is the reality that livestock animals have always been property, brought into the world without rights and for human purposes — bred to maximize productivity, mutilated and branded with hot irons, and slaughtered at the time of our choosing.
—Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 7 Aug. 2024
The genitals of both women and men were brutally mutilated, and in some cases weapons were inserted into them.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 20 July 2024
Some spoke of being forced to drink rabbit’s blood at the preschool, of being taken to a cemetery to watch a corpse dug up and mutilated.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for mutilate 
Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 9 Aug. 2024
Beyond the marketing is the reality that livestock animals have always been property, brought into the world without rights and for human purposes — bred to maximize productivity, mutilated and branded with hot irons, and slaughtered at the time of our choosing.
—Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 7 Aug. 2024
The genitals of both women and men were brutally mutilated, and in some cases weapons were inserted into them.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 20 July 2024
Some spoke of being forced to drink rabbit’s blood at the preschool, of being taken to a cemetery to watch a corpse dug up and mutilated.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 17 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for mutilate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mutilate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mutilate
Cite this Entry
“Mutilate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutilate. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mutilate
verb
mu·ti·late
ˈmyüt-ᵊl-ˌāt
mutilated; mutilating
1
: to make imperfect by cutting or altering severely : ruin
mutilate a play
2
: to cut off or destroy a necessary part (as a limb) : maim
Medical Definition
mutilate
transitive verb
mu·ti·late
ˈmyüt-ᵊl-ˌāt
mutilated; mutilating
: to cut off or cause severe damage to a limb or essential part of
mutilate a body
also
: castrate sense 1
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