defang

verb — 2 senses

defang

verb

UK /diːˈfæŋ/

Etymology From de- + fang.

1

To remove the fangs from (something).

  • The snake was defanged.
2

Figuratively To render (something) harmless.

  • The Government's new security supremo, Admiral Sir Alan West, said the danger from home-grown and foreign terrorists was at its greatest level ever, and warned that it could take up to 15 years to defang Islamic radicalism.2007 July 14, “The Roots of Terror”, in The Week, 622, 4:
Synonyms
declaw, detooth

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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