A word to describe the action of rendering a harmful person powerless
I'm looking for a word to describe rendering a person powerless, for example somebody who is causing some grief to a group, and you are able to say something that destroys their argument and leaves them without a leg to stand on.
An example sentence would be:
"I _____ed him by expertly destroying his faulty logic".
I feel the word is on the tip of my tongue but I cannot place it.
Solution 1:
See neutralize. The Oxford dictionary defines it as
Make (something) ineffective by applying an opposite force or effect.
Make ineffective.
Popular use: The army neutralized the threat, Radical views neutralized by the opposition.
Also look up synonyms such as counterpoise.
Solution 2:
I like disarm for this.
- to deprive of the means of attack or defense:
The lack of logic disarmed his argument.
Solution 3:
"I defanged/declawed him by expertly destroying his faulty logic".
ODO:
defang VERB
[WITH OBJECT] often as adjective defanged
Render harmless or ineffectual.‘the military, demoralized and defanged, gave up their campaign’
‘He's very much aware of the fact that humor can be used to defang a problematic issue.’
declaw VERB
[WITH OBJECT]
1.1 Make harmless or less threatening.
‘We shouldn't be surprised that the Tories are warming up to our metropolis just when they need ways to declaw the Liberals.’