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 Lysenko’s policies crippled agricultural science in the Soviet Union for decades. D. Scott Schmid, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025 Related Stories Pogachefsky is now suing 42West and his former employees, accusing them of crippling his company and scuttling his talks to sell the firm. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025 It is built for speed —raids to seize high-value targets, precision strikes to cripple defenses, and, if ordered, to carry out the risky capture of strongman Nicolás Maduro and top regime officials, military analysts say. Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2025 Underinvesting In Architecture And Design Underinvesting in the architecture and/or design can cripple app development in many places, causing issues with data flows, integration and more. Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cripple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cripple
Verb
  • One caller said a delta-8 gummy incapacitated their adult son for several hours.
    Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Lorenzo confronts and incapacitates Pepe, Sonia’s main ally, before facing Sonia herself.
    Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Police in England said one of the two Jewish community members killed and one of the victims injured during an attack at a synagogue on Yom Kippur are now believed to have been struck by police gunfire as officers tried to stop the attacker.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
  • The kids associate helicopters with life flights to the local hospital, a sign that someone has been seriously injured, Cornelison said.
    John Wisely, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Was Gerry Bertier really paralyzed?
    Jessica Booth, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
  • New York — Government shutdowns can be political earthquakes that paralyze Washington, DC.
    Matt Egan, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • 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, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Common Sense Media wants companies to disable chatbots from having mental health conversations with teens.
    Sonia Mankame, Mercury News, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • According to Greenpeace's analysis, Russia has also completed construction of a new water supply system for the plant's cooling pond and deliberately damaged a 750-kilovolt power line that had connected the facility to Ukraine's electrical grid.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Residential buildings and civilian infrastructure were damaged in the Solomianskyi, Sviatoshynskyi, Holosiivskyi, Darnytskyi, and Dniprovskyi districts.
    Emma Marsden, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The journalists' arrests sparked outrage among free press advocates, who say the prosecutions undermine First Amendment freedoms and have called for prosecutors to drop the misdemeanor charges.
    Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
  • But solar advocates pushed back, warning that the changes would lengthen payback periods, discourage solar investment and undermine clean energy goals adopted by cities like Boise.
    Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Of the eight people who were wounded and survived the mass shooting and fire Sunday at a Grand Blanc Township church, the first to get treatment at Henry Ford Genesys Hospital was a 6-year-old boy, said the doctor who cared for him.
    Kristen Jordan Shamus, Freep.com, 1 Oct. 2025
  • More than 200 people were wounded.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Sandu’s reelection came amidst an election that was laced with allegations of Russian interference and was marred by fake bomb threats.
    Rajeev Tyagi, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2025
  • Unfortunately for the Giants, this win was marred by a devastating injury for superstar second-year wide receiver Malik Nabers.
    Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cripple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cripple. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.

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