disable

verb

dis·​able dis-ˈā-bəl 

diz-ˈā-

disabled; disabling dis-ˈā-b(ə-)liŋ 

diz-ˈā-

transitive verb

1

a

: to make ineffective or inoperative

disable a bomb

For victims of smartphone theft, the ultimate justice is hitting a button that disables the device, turning it into a worthless rectangular paperweight.

—Heather Kelley

… gene editing makes it possible to change or disable a single gene without changing the "meaning" of the rest of the genome.

—Kat McGowan

b

: to impair physically or mentally : to cause disability in

Automobile accidents kill nearly 50,000 people each year. … Accidents maim or disable another 80,000.

—Matt Clark and Mary Hager

Diet-related Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease disable and kill people …

—Mark Bittman

2

: to deprive of legal right, qualification, or capacity

… the injured party was released from the bonds of marriage; but the offender, during life, or a term of years, was disabled from the repetition of nuptials.

—Edward Gibbon

disablement

dis-ˈā-bəl-mənt 

diz-ˈā-

noun

physical disablement

Nor does it tackle the disablement of any North Korean program to enrich uranium.

—Thomas Omestad

disabling adjective

Bipolar disorder is one of the world's 10 most disabling conditions, taking away years of healthy functioning from individuals who have the illness.

—David J. Kupfer

This is a rare, disabling pain disorder in which ordinary sensation such as touch, warmth and coolness are perceived as painful and minor knocks are agonizing.

—Maia Szalavitz

Synonyms

• cripple
• incapacitate
• lame
• maim
• mutilate

Choose the Right Synonym for disable

weaken, enfeeble, debilitate, undermine, sap, disable mean to lose or cause to lose strength or vigor.

weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power.

a disease that weakens the body's defenses

enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness.

enfeebled by starvation

debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality.

the debilitating effects of surgery

undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously.

a poor diet undermines your health

drugs had sapped his ability to think

disable suggests bringing about impairment or limitation in a physical or mental ability.

disabled by an injury sustained at work

Examples of disable in a Sentence

a promising athlete who was severely disabled in a plane crash

disabled the controls for unauthorized users

Recent Examples on the Web

All three towns’ utilities, as well as another, in Lockney, reportedly disabled their software to prevent its exploitation, but officials said that service to the water utilities’ customers was never interrupted. —Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 17 Apr. 2024

Should that occur, the software will disable the high pressure fuel pump, reduce engine power and cut temps in the engine compartment. —Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024

Image: Microsoft Microsoft started testing ads inside the File Explorer of Windows 11 last year before disabling the experiment in beta versions of Windows 11. —Tom Warren, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024

At the height of the site’s popularity, the competition led some users to protect their pages by disabling the right-click function that allowed others to access their HTML codes. —Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024

Windows key swap option as well as the ability to disable the Windows key. —PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024

He was injured north of Baghdad, Iraq, in 2005 when his vehicle was disabled by mortar attacks. —Alexandra Hardle, The Arizona Republic, 6 Apr. 2024

Federal agents disabled his security system and seized the hard drive, sources told The Times. —Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024

During the two-day-long court proceedings, homicide detective Harry Singleton testified that Brown was disabled, per The Washington Post. —Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English disablen "to deprive of legal rights" (in past participle disabled), borrowed from Anglo-French desabler, from des- dis- + able able, or from abler "to permit, make able to inherit," derivative of able able

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

disable

verb

dis·​able dis-ˈā-bəl 

disabled; disabling -b(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to disqualify legally

2

: to cause to be unable to do or act

disable a computer key

especially : to deprive of physical or moral strength

a disabling illness

disablement

-bəl-mənt 

noun

Medical Definition

disable

transitive verb

dis·​able dis-ˈā-bəl, diz- 

disabled; disabling -b(ə-)liŋ 

: to impair physically or mentally : to cause disability in

Automobile accidents kill nearly 50,000 people each year. … Accidents maim or disable another 80,000.

—Matt Clark and Mary Hager

Diet-related Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease disable and kill people …

—Mark Bittman

Legal Definition

disable

transitive verb

dis·​able

disabled; disabling

1

: to deprive of legal right, qualification, or capacity

2

: to make incapable or ineffective

specifically : to cause to have a disability

disablement noun