What does cannibalizing mean?
"Cannibalizing" is the present participle and gerund of the verb "cannibalize," which means to strip useful parts or materials from one object — typically a machine, vehicle, or piece of equipment — in order to repair or construct another. The word also carries an important figurative sense in commerce: when a new product reduces the sales of a company's existing product, analysts describe it as cannibalizing those sales. Derived ultimately from the Spanish word "Caníbal," a name associated with the Carib people and popularized after Columbus's voyages, the term borrows the imagery of self-consumption for mechanical and commercial purposes. It appears frequently in engineering, aviation, military logistics, and marketing discussions. Depending on context, cannibalizing can be entirely neutral — as in salvaging parts from retired equipment — or mildly negative, as when it signals a business undercutting its own revenue.
verb (present participle of cannibalize)The present participle and gerund of "cannibalize": to strip parts or material from one thing in order to use, repair, or build another; or (of a product, business, or market) to take away sales, customers, or resources from another related one.
- To strip parts or components from one machine, vehicle, or object to repair or assemble another.
- (Of a product or business) To reduce the sales or market share of an existing product by introducing a new one.
- Figuratively, to draw on or consume resources from one source to sustain another.
"The airline kept older jets grounded for spare parts, effectively cannibalizing them to keep its newer fleet flying."
"Mechanics were cannibalizing two wrecked trucks to keep a third one running."
"Analysts worried that the budget model was cannibalizing sales of the company's flagship laptop."
When a company launches a new phone that eats the sales of its old one, executives literally say it's 'cannibalizing' itself — a metaphor borrowed from man-eaters that has become standard business jargon.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cannibalizing
The verb derives from "cannibal," which entered English in the mid-sixteenth century from Spanish "Caníbal," a variant of "caribe" used to refer to the Carib peoples of the Caribbean, following reports from Columbus's voyages. Some accounts link the name to a supposed West Indian word meaning a valiant man, though the precise indigenous origin is debated. The verb "cannibalize" arose much later, in the nineteenth century, applying the idea of consuming one's own kind to the stripping of machines and, subsequently, to competition between products. Related forms include "cannibalistic" and the noun derivative "cannibalization."
Related word forms
How cannibalizing is actually used
Common in engineering, military, automotive, and especially business contexts, where it often carries a mildly negative connotation when discussing self-competition between products. In technical use it can be neutral, describing routine salvage operations.
Easily confused with cannibalizing
Cannibalism is the literal act of humans eating other humans, while cannibalizing is the figurative practice of taking parts or sales from one thing to serve another.