defang
Americanverb (used with object)
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to remove the fangs of.
to defang a snake.
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to cause to become less powerful or threatening; render harmless.
Etymology
Origin of defang
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.
As Chrissie, Linney is a model of restraint, keeping her character’s counsel while subtly attempting to defang the resentments of the others.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 13, 2023
Unionization, once a powerful weapon in the arsenal of the nation's workforce, looks to be making a comeback – at least marginally, after decades of declining membership and strong-arm tactics by management to defang it.
From Salon • Sep. 10, 2022
Ironically, his efforts to defang his rivals, the mujahideen commanders in the provinces, left his government without its strongest source of protection against the Taliban.
From Slate • Feb. 2, 2022
Party leaders entered the year pondering whether they could defang the filibuster across the board, but opposition from within their ranks shelved those plans.
From Washington Times • Jan. 14, 2022
What better way to defang a secret society than to make public its most secret information?
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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.
