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
• injure

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

Faison then manually disabled his phone and removed the SIM card so his location couldn’t be tracked before going to the park and shooting Fiengo, police said. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025

Beau pointed out that Bash disabled them, and any footage could be altered to appear accidental. —Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025

In July, Louisiana enacted a similar drone law that gives law enforcement the authority to intercept and disable unauthorized drones that pose a public safety threat, with penalties up to a $5,000 fine or one year in jail. —Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025

If portions of the page appear blank and an ad blocker is enabled, please disable the ad blocker and refresh the page to ensure full access to the content. —Austin Mock, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025

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

Rhymes for disable

• able
• chaebol
• fable
• label
• sable
• stabile
• stable
• table
• allocable
• educable
• integrable
• purchasable

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