1
as in to incapacitate
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the car crash may have crippled two people for life
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to paralyze
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
a wave of strikes crippled that nation's steel industry
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of cripple
The fall broke both his legs, crippling him.
—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
14 June 2026
Candidates whose public image depends on favorable coverage can be crippled by bad headlines.
—
Matthew Shelter,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
The Ukrainian military sank several Russian warships in the Black Sea and at their Crimean bases, crippling Moscow’s naval capability and forcing it to redeploy its fleet to Novorossiysk.
—
ABC News,
11 June 2026
However, thanks to this unconventional build, Argus can traverse a wide range of terrains, move with equal ease in almost any direction, and shrug off damage that would cripple many robots.
—
New Atlas,
9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for cripple
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
14 June 2026
Candidates whose public image depends on favorable coverage can be crippled by bad headlines.
—
Matthew Shelter,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
The Ukrainian military sank several Russian warships in the Black Sea and at their Crimean bases, crippling Moscow’s naval capability and forcing it to redeploy its fleet to Novorossiysk.
—
ABC News,
11 June 2026
However, thanks to this unconventional build, Argus can traverse a wide range of terrains, move with equal ease in almost any direction, and shrug off damage that would cripple many robots.
—
New Atlas,
9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for cripple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cripple
Verb
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Airbus UpNext's DragonFly project is developing AI that manages complex emergencies autonomously when the crew is incapacitated.
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According to the law enforcement investigation, Garcia activated her Taser seven times in a row in about a minute, with the State Patrol concluding that three to four of those activations occurred after Tomlinson was already incapacitated by the initial Taser deployments.
Verb
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An underage girl was injured and treated at a hospital.
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Sixty-six people were injured in the incident.
Verb
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Barricades erected on key roads have effectively isolated the city of La Paz, triggering fuel and food shortages, paralyzing transportation and preventing patients from reaching hospitals — causing at least seven deaths for lack of medical attention, the government says.
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Barricades erected on key roads have essentially isolated the city of La Paz, Bolivia’s seat of government, triggering fuel and food shortages, paralyzing transportation and preventing patients from reaching hospitals.
Verb
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One of the increasingly concerning threats is drones, which can be piloted remotely and are difficult to disable.
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Oftentimes, disabling security protections is frowned upon.
Verb
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The storms damaged at least 20 homes in the county, Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Keith Hertenstein said.
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Driving through deep water can also damage a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.
Verb
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Kirk had disappeared from their feeds, and Erika Kirk had gone viral for the wrong reasons—taking the stage at her husband’s memorial service amid pyrotechnics and attempting her own campus tour, undermining her image as a Christian trad wife whose priorities were her family and her home.
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Over his 18-year tenure at the Fed, Greenspan embodied the omnipotent technocrat — a legacy critics say was fatally undermined by his failure to spot the 2008 housing bubble.
Verb
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In this conflict, almost 4,000 people in Lebanon have been killed — a higher death toll than Iran’s — including 746 women, children and health workers; and more than triple that wounded.
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The International Committee of the Red Cross said 2025 was the worst year for civilians in a decade, with more than 900 people killed or wounded by explosive devices.
Verb
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The Toronto Blue Jays' 2026 season has been marred by injuries, with veteran pitcher Max Scherzer facing significant setbacks.
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As Bloomberg recently reported, brides are buying $14 spells from witches on Etsy to ensure that their $100,000 weddings are not marred by blizzards or downpours.
Cite this Entry
“Cripple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cripple. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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