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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of disabling
The Navy deployed carbon-fiber warheads on Tomahawk missiles in the opening hours of the 1991 Gulf War, disabling roughly 85% of Iraq’s electricity supply.
—
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
The kind that the Iranians have had no problem so far either disabling or deterring with firepower from drones.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
In the months following surgery, many women are afflicted by post-mastectomy pain syndrome, or PMPS, which spans from uncomfortable to disabling and can last years.
—Brett Kelman, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
In one case, a California prison guard with spinal problems also claimed other ailments, including toenail fungus and eczema, as work-disabling conditions.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
The concept dates back to the Apollo missions and helped save the lives of the astronauts onboard Apollo 13 in 1970 after an oxygen tank exploded, disabling its electrical and life-support system.
—Briana Alvarado, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Analysts say its unusual movements — including disabling its tracking signal — are consistent with tactics used to evade sanctions.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
The Simpson returned fire with four missiles of its own, disabling the Iranian boat, before it was finished off by gunfire from the US flotilla.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
Labidi is accused of disabling the safety feature on his vehicle that prevents a car from drifting and spinning.
—Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2026
The kind that the Iranians have had no problem so far either disabling or deterring with firepower from drones.
—Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
In the months following surgery, many women are afflicted by post-mastectomy pain syndrome, or PMPS, which spans from uncomfortable to disabling and can last years.
—Brett Kelman, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2026
In one case, a California prison guard with spinal problems also claimed other ailments, including toenail fungus and eczema, as work-disabling conditions.
—Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
The concept dates back to the Apollo missions and helped save the lives of the astronauts onboard Apollo 13 in 1970 after an oxygen tank exploded, disabling its electrical and life-support system.
—Briana Alvarado, ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Analysts say its unusual movements — including disabling its tracking signal — are consistent with tactics used to evade sanctions.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026
The Simpson returned fire with four missiles of its own, disabling the Iranian boat, before it was finished off by gunfire from the US flotilla.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 22 Mar. 2026
Labidi is accused of disabling the safety feature on his vehicle that prevents a car from drifting and spinning.
—Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disabling
Verb
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Confidence in Israel’s ability to seriously damage Iran’s nuclear program has slipped from 62% to 48%; expectations of crippling its ballistic missile arsenal have dropped from 73% to 57%.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
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All three largely believe the war caused the high gas and grocery prices that are crippling the nation’s economy.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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At age 14, Arias was caught in the crossfire of a shootout between rival gangs, paralyzing him from the waist down.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
8 Mar. 2026
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In a region where weather swings from paralyzing ice storms to scorching summers, these elements carry weight.—
Mary Grace Granados
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The defendant at the trial, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, argued that its policy covered only losses resulting from a medically verified, incapacitating illness.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
10 Mar. 2026
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Larter's Angela has been put through the wringer on the second season of Landman, from getting into an explosive battle with Thornton's Tommy over her period to getting arrested for incapacitating two health inspectors during a visit to her local nursing home.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Common topics of health misinformation include false claims about vaccines, promoting remedies that are not supported by science and undermining scientific understanding about the causes of different health issues.—
Deidre McPhillips,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
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Experts say multinationals and foreign investors still want a share of India's consumption story — but the country's inability to create more white-collar jobs is undermining that narrative.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Russia and Ukraine exchanged deadly strikes overnight, killing 10 people and wounding dozens in intense drone warfare.—
Volodymyr Yurchuk,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
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State and local authorities are frantically searching for a suspect armed with a long gun who allegedly opened fire at family members and responding law enforcement in New Hampshire on Saturday, wounding a police officer and triggering a massive manhunt.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Anthropic's showdown with the Pentagon this year left OpenAI looking like the bad guy, and just this week Bloomberg reported that demand is weakening for private shares of OpenAI in the secondary market.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
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But those safeguards appear to be weakening.—
Jennifer Elias,Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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An asteroid the size of a house exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk with the force of 440,000 tons of TNT, damaging buildings and injuring more than 1,600 people, according to NASA.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
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The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said that an airstrike hit near its Bushehr nuclear facility, killing a security guard and damaging a support building.—
Sam Mednick,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disabling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disabling. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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