kaput

adjective

kə-ˈpu̇t How to pronounce kaput (audio)
variants also kaputt
Definition of kaputnext
1
as in doomed
facing certain defeat, disaster, or death once the Germans were forced to retreat from Stalingrad, the Nazi cause was kaput

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2
as in obsolete
having passed its time of use or usefulness hard-line Soviet-style Communism became kaput in Russia

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in malfunctioning
not being in working order the heating system went kaput on the coldest day of the year

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of kaput Now all three of those competitors are kaput, felled by runs on deposits during the biggest banking crisis in a decade and a half. — Rob Copeland, New York Times, 14 June 2023 The Stooges are now functionally kaput—of the original lineup, only Pop is left. — Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2019 At least not on Sunday afternoon, nearly a full two days after the Clippers were supposed to be done, finished, as kaput as the Kings – those in Sacramento and Los Angeles. — Jeff Miller, Orange County Register, 29 Apr. 2017 The damages for that less-than-brilliant marketing idea could be as much as $120 million, meaning the company as a whole is pretty much financially kaput. — Susan Arendt, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2007
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kaput
  1. obsolete
  2. archaic
  3. down
  4. defunct
  5. inoperative
  6. sunk
  7. inoperable
  8. endangered
Adjective
  • Yet, the advent of commercial aviation in the 1950s rendered these icons of the seas obsolete almost overnight.
    — David Nikel, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
  • As Maryland transitions to clean energy, customers are left paying for obsolete gas pipelines.
    — Susan Stevens Miller, Baltimore Sun, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of obsolete
Adjective
  • Sony introduced a now archaic version of RGB LED tech in 2004, though that version can hardly be compared to today’s displays.
    — Ryan Waniata, WIRED, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Researchers believe that Pink represents the oldest archaic fossils ever found in this region, according to a study published in Nature on March 12.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of archaic
Adjective
  • The former actor played Dungeons and Dragons in his down time.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Despite having a down year last season, signing for less than $2 million feels like a steal for the Braves.
    — Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of down
Adjective
  • The song was inspired by both a defunct Minneapolis bar as well as the birth of Wilson’s daughter.
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2025
  • The data hoarders collect zines, manuals, family photos, old television shows, and defunct websites—just about everything digital or digitizable at risk of disappearance.
    — Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2025
Definition of defunct
Adjective
  • Perhaps most notably, both sides deploy decoy vehicles—either inoperative derelicts or inflatable fakes—to draw enemy fire away from real vehicles.
    — David Axe, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
  • In wartime, however, the calculus changes, because most of the costs are inoperative.
    — William C. Wohlforth, Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2021
Definition of inoperative
Adjective
  • The sunk cost fallacy, for example, can lead companies to continue investing in maintaining a physical office space, despite the benefits of remote work.
    — Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, Forbes, 6 Feb. 2023
  • The sunk cost fallacy is a bias that behavioral economists say can cause a person to stick with a losing investment.
    — Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2022
Definition of sunk
Adjective
  • Cars were found to be frozen and inoperable, and as of Wednesday, crews were working through the ice.
    — Taylor Ardrey, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2025
  • NetBlocks, a company that tracks global internet censorship, said there was no indication that any internet service provider was blocking the app, and that its unavailability was purely through TikTok making the service inoperable for U.S. users.
    — Kevin Collier, NBC News, 19 Jan. 2025
Definition of inoperable
Adjective
  • Gros started co-hosting Wild Kingdom in 1985 when the bald eagle was an endangered species.
    — Amanda Kooser, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The grassland plain home to several vulnerable plants and animals historically had drilling and is the only monument in the state with oil potential, said Brendan Cummings, conservation director for the Center for Biological Diversity, a nonprofit focus on protecting endangered species.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of endangered

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“Kaput.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kaput. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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