Entry 2 senses · 2 variants Webster, 1913 cannibalise · IPA /ˈkænɪbəlaɪz/ v. i. v. t. 01 v. i. to eat human flesh. 1. to eat human flesh. Syn. practice cannibalism. 02 v. t. to use parts of (something, such as a machine), to repair something else. 1. to use parts of (something, such as a machine), to repair something else. Syn. use parts of.