Synonyms of cripple

cripple

verb

1

as in to incapacitate

to cause severe or permanent injury to

the car crash may have crippled two people for life

Synonyms & Similar Words

• incapacitate
• injure
• disable
• wound
• maim
• hurt
• damage
• scar
• mutilate
• kill
• paralyze
• lame
• bruise
• hobble
• impair
• hit
• dismember
• disfigure
• beat
• hamstring
• harm
• mangle
• rough (up)
• wing
• lacerate
• pummel
• maul
• lick
• batter
• smash
• bludgeon
• slap
• smack
• torture
• punch
• murder
• whack
• box
• gore
• torment
• lambaste
• hammer
• belt
• spank
• whip
• pound
• thrash
• swat
• flog
• bang
• lash
• kneecap
• paste
• bash
• break
• thump
• bung up
• swipe
• pelt
• sock
• buffet
• wallop
• lace
• drub
• thwack
• pommel

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• cure
• heal
• remedy
• rehabilitate
• fix
• restore
• patch
• repair
• renew
• mend
• doctor
• rejuvenate

2

as in to injure

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of

the collision so severely crippled the ship that it had to be towed into port

Synonyms & Similar Words

• injure
• damage
• mar
• hurt
• weaken
• impair
• compromise
• spoil
• erode
• harm
• destroy
• disfigure
• break
• undermine
• bloody
• ruin
• flaw
• vitiate
• cross (up)
• deface
• blemish
• deteriorate
• shatter
• crab
• wound
• enfeeble
• enervate
• devastate
• endamage
• demolish
• wreck
• batter
• tarnish
• blight
• wear (away)
• disable
• scour
• dent
• wash out
• maim
• decimate
• botch
• smash
• mutilate
• annihilate
• torture
• crush
• lacerate
• torment
• ding
• hamstring
• mangle
• queer
• gum (up)
• waste
• pulverize
• lame
• desolate
• wipe out
• clobber
• total
• tear down
• raze
• scourge
• dint
• bash
• do in
• dash
• bang up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rebuild
• help
• repair
• reconstruct
• fix
• patch
• heal
• mend
• cure
• renovate
• revamp
• rehabilitate
• remedy
• rectify
• improve
• recondition
• better
• enhance
• revise
• doctor
• enrich
• perfect
• ameliorate
• edit
• remodel
• refine
• meliorate

3

as in to paralyze

to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move

a wave of strikes crippled that nation's steel industry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• paralyze
• undermine
• incapacitate
• weaken
• disable
• immobilize
• hamstring
• undercut
• attenuate
• debilitate
• prostrate
• hobble
• sap
• maim
• mutilate
• enfeeble
• enervate
• tire
• lame
• knock out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• invigorate
• energize
• strengthen
• galvanize
• vitalize
• fortify
• empower
• restore
• revive
• revitalize
• refresh
• rejuvenate
• regenerate
• freshen
• refreshen

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

Recent Examples of cripple

Strikes over unpaid salaries, violent attacks on clinics and public mistrust fueled by misinformation are crippling fragile response efforts, as workers like Bondele keep showing up. — Prosper Heri Ngorora, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026

Over the years this bag has crippled numerous hotel bellmen attempting to lift it. — John Ficarra, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026

Malawi, an African nation, faced severe 18-hour blackouts after Tropical Storm Ana destroyed a major hydropower dam in 2022, crippling its grid and highlighting reliance on intermittent solar and expensive diesel. — Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026

That tracks with earlier reports about Iran’s president and central bank chief telling Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei the initial blockade was crippling the economy. — Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026