cannibalise

present singular third person cannibalises · participle present cannibalising · participle past cannibalised · past cannibalised · alternative cannibalize

1. transitiveTo eat (parts of) another of one's own species.

   The female black widow spider is known to cannibalise the male.

2. transitiveTo remove parts of (a machine, etc) for use in other similar machines.

   to cannibalize an old laptop for parts

   2 more examples

   According to our correspondent, at least one of the Type 2s has had to be cannibalised to facilitate repairs, as spares are often in short supply.

   1962 April, “Motive power miscellany: Scottish Region”, in Modern Railways, page 284

   When the attack ceased they managed to cannibalize parts to get one truck going and set off for the rendezvous with Fraser, only to find nobody there.

   1991, Anthony Kemp, The SAS at War 1941–1945 (John Murray (Publishers) Ltd)

3. transitivebusinessTo reduce sales or market share (for one of one's own products) by introducing another.

   iPad mini to cannibalize 1M full-size iPad sales.

   2012 October 17, electronista

4. Rework old material; rehash.

   1 more example

   When the album succeeds, such as on the swaggering, Queen-esque “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us,” it does so on The Darkness’ own terms—that is, as a random ’80s-cliché generator. But with so many tired, lazy callbacks to its own threadbare catalog (including “Love Is Not The Answer,” a watery echo of the epic “I Believe In A Thing Called Love” from 2003’s Permission To Land), Hot Cakes marks the point where The Darkness has stopped cannibalizing the golden age of stadium rock and simply started cannibalizing itself. And, despite Hawkins’ inveterate crotch-grabbing, there was never that much meat there to begin with.

   2012 August 21, Jason Heller, “The Darkness: Hot Cakes (Music Review)”, in The Onion AV Club