1
as in crippling
to cause severe or permanent injury to
a promising athlete who was severely disabled in a plane crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in paralyzing
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
disabled the controls for unauthorized users
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of disabling
The suit seeks compensation, noting that Dinkins has suffered permanent, disabling injuries that will limit his future earning capacity.
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Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
The dark or shadow fleet is a clandestine network of older oil tankers working with sanctioned nations, such as Iran and Russia, that conceal their oil trips by disabling tracking, using fake identities, and other tactics.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
This involved disabling the genes that let pig embryos form a kidney and injecting human stem cells into the embryo to fill the gap where a kidney would be.
—Monika Piotrowska, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2025
Video footage shared by the Department of Homeland Security shows Coast Guard personnel, including a sniper from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON), using disabling fire against a go-fast vessel during the mission, which was part of Operation Pacific Viper.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Thompson said kids are disabling the speed limiter on e-bikes to operate at higher speeds.
—Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Dec. 2025
The electricity has gone out several times, disabling the elevators and taking away his ability to get to work.
—Sydney Franklin, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Nov. 2025
In recent years, scientists have been able to identify many cytokines and create targeted therapies for a host of disabling, sometimes fatal, diseases.
—Jason Liebowitz, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Last month, SpaceX touted disabling over 2,500 Starlink dishes in Myanmar, where organized crime has been exploiting the satellite internet service to conduct online scams across the globe.
—PC Magazine, 3 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disabling
Verb
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Since then, they've been forced to work remotely — at a time when the government was doling out return-to-office mandates — preventing access to labs and crippling the center's mission of embedding NASA climate scientists within international academia.—
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On December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 Americans and crippling much of the Pacific Fleet.—
Verb
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At the end of his first year as CEO, a blizzard known as Winter Storm Elliott triggered an operational meltdown, stranding thousands of Southwest customers at the height of the holiday season, paralyzing the company’s point-to-point network, and plunging the company into a profit-killing crisis.—
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No matter the scenario, Victor portrays PTSD as a paralyzing force with accuracy and grace—an all-too-rare combination.—
Verb
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The only way to repair the rift and deal with the incapacitating grief is through art.—
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He is accused of slipping incapacitating drugs into victims’ food or drinks before assaulting them between 2021 and 2024.—
Verb
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Defense attorney Leah Gillis countered that sequestering jurors would chill candid discussion and signal that open conversations about bias are not tolerated, undermining the goal of an impartial jury.—
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Saudi Arabia has publicly accused the United Arab Emirates – a fellow Gulf Arab state and former partner in the Yemen war – of undermining its national security, an unusually blunt charge that exposes a rift long kept behind closed doors.—
Verb
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The suspect, charged with murder and other crimes, allegedly shot at four people in separate vehicles in Prince George’s County, killing one and wounding two.—
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Faceworld members opened fire, killing Jordan and wounding another woman.—
Verb
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Milk, butter and cheese prices on the wholesale market and at grocery stores have decreased slightly due to oversupply and weakening consumer demand.—
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This suggests consumers enter 2026 with continuing concerns over high prices and weakening labor market conditions.—
Verb
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One person was taken into custody after a fire ripped through a synagogue in Mississippi, heavily damaging the historic house of worship in what authorities say was an act of arson.—
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Freezing foods quickly helps preserve texture by preventing large ice crystals from damaging delicate cell walls.—
Cite this Entry
“Disabling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disabling. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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