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
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Many Israeli commanders have argued that the proliferation of drones necessitated an expansion of the war against Hezbollah, arguing for strikes and operations farther north to cripple its drone supply lines.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 June 2026
This comes at a dire time for Venezuela, which is still deep in political and financial crisis – being led by an interim government after US forces captured President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, and facing an economy crippled by years of hyperinflation.
—
Taylor Ward,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
The 1918 pandemic made clear that a respiratory virus could cripple an army.
—
Katrine L. Wallace,
The Conversation,
24 June 2026
The move on Monday marks the most sweeping rollback of American oil sanctions against Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, reversing years of pressure designed to cripple Iran's economy, and is expected to deliver billions in oil revenue for the Iranian regime.
—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for cripple
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
24 June 2026
This comes at a dire time for Venezuela, which is still deep in political and financial crisis – being led by an interim government after US forces captured President Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, and facing an economy crippled by years of hyperinflation.
—
Taylor Ward,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
The 1918 pandemic made clear that a respiratory virus could cripple an army.
—
Katrine L. Wallace,
The Conversation,
24 June 2026
The move on Monday marks the most sweeping rollback of American oil sanctions against Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, reversing years of pressure designed to cripple Iran's economy, and is expected to deliver billions in oil revenue for the Iranian regime.
—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for cripple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cripple
Verb
-
Airbus UpNext's DragonFly project is developing AI that manages complex emergencies autonomously when the crew is incapacitated.
-
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
-
The Jackson County charges came after police accused Sanchez-Munoz in a series of shootings in Kansas City that left one man, Jeremy Keenan, dead and four others injured on June 16.
-
French and Ukrainian media reported that a Ukrainian magnate and his family were those injured.
Verb
-
While receiving treatment at a British base, Derek learned that he was paralyzed from the chest down.
-
With endless criteria, knowing exactly what to ask for from a pair of jean shorts is paralyzing.
Verb
-
On June 12, the administration invoked export-control authority to bar foreign-national access to both models (including Anthropic’s own non-citizen staff), which forced the company to disable them worldwide.
-
One of its eyes was disabled, and its wiring was exposed; an employee was kicking it repeatedly.
Verb
-
Driving through deep water can also damage a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.
-
Bahrain and Kuwait say they were targeted by Tehran, with a residential building in Bahrain heavily damaged in the attack.
Verb
-
Context that undermines sensational allegations is minimized.
-
Allies include Brin’s Building a Better California, which is bankrolling two counter-measures aimed at undermining the billionaire tax.
Verb
-
One person was killed and another was wounded during a shooting in an unincorporated part of Riverside County on Sunday.
-
These two stood ready to wound the pigs as soon as Red Beard was done saying goodbye.
Verb
-
The World Cup group stage was marred for fans whose experiences mirrored Ramroop’s, leading FIFA and third-party platforms like StubHub to point fingers at each other amid the fallout.
-
His previous loan at Girona was marred by injuries, impacting his World Cup aspirations.
Cite this Entry
“Cripple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cripple. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
