cripple

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Synonym Chooser

How does the verb cripple contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cripple are batter, maim, mangle, and mutilate. While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg.

crippled for life in an accident

Where would batter be a reasonable alternative to cripple?

While in some cases nearly identical to cripple, batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate.

an old ship battered by fierce storms

In what contexts can maim take the place of cripple?

The words maim and cripple can be used in similar contexts, but maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.

maimed by a shark

When is mangle a more appropriate choice than cripple?

Although the words mangle and cripple have much in common, mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

When can mutilate be used instead of cripple?

While the synonyms mutilate and cripple are close in meaning, mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cripple That crippled Huawei’s smartphone brand, once one of the world’s biggest. Joe McDonald, ajc, 9 Mar. 2023 Soon after, sanctions crippled the banking sector, food prices soared, and hospitals filled with malnourished children. Christina Goldbaum, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Feb. 2023 Soon after, sanctions crippled the banking sector, food prices soared and hospitals filled with malnourished children. Yaqoob Akbary Kiana Hayeri, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2023 If nothing is done, this could cripple the ISS. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Jane Harman, WSJ, 16 Aug. 2022 See All Example Sentences for cripple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cripple
Verb
  • This decrease signifies a substantial revenue gap that could have incapacitated many companies.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
  • Near the Bering Strait, the crew spotted the Brunswick, incapacitated after striking ice and surrounded by other whalers preparing to buy off its goods.
    Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • At least 968 civilians were killed and over 4,800 injured.
    Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Clark has been injured and has struggled lately, going just 13-of-47 from three-point territory in her last three games and missing six of the Indiana Fever's 16 games this season.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • Trump deserves credit for ignoring the voices in Washington who counsel inaction out of an understandable but often paralyzing fear of unintended consequences.
    The Editors, National Review, 24 June 2025
  • Airpower paralyzed Saddam Hussein’s regime and rendered his military ineffective.
    David A. Deptula, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • Pornhub disabled its website in Texas last year because of the state law.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 27 June 2025
  • As revealed in a recent episode of 60 Minutes, in one case the agency sent a clawback letter to a 32-year-old man, living on Social Security and disabled by cerebral palsy.
    John C. Goodman, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • Don't use harsh cleaners, which can damage the grates.
    Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 1 July 2025
  • But opponents contend that industrial animal agriculture actually jeopardizes food security, by damaging local ecosystems, undermining traditional agricultural practices, and intensifying climate harms.
    Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
Verb
  • Your bombastic attacks on the free press are, at best, unflattering — and at worst, undermine a core tenet of democracy.
    Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 June 2025
  • Trump is undermining our economy with reckless tariffs, harsh cuts, and ICE agents terrorizing our communities.
    Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025
Verb
  • Two people were wounded in another Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Bryansk in western Russia, regional Gov. Alexander Bogomaz said Sunday morning, adding that seven more Ukrainian drones had been shot down over the region.
    Volodymyr Yurchuk, Chicago Tribune, 29 June 2025
  • Six people were wounded in Cherkasy, including a child, regional Gov. Ihor Taburets said.
    Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 29 June 2025
Verb
  • The last weekend of June in Indianapolis was marred by a rash of shootings that left seven dead and nine others injured.
    Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 30 June 2025
  • The Mets go the way of Francisco Lindor, and he’s been marred in his own slump this month.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 30 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cripple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cripple. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.

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