1
as in incapacitated
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 damaged
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 paralyzed
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
a wave of strikes crippled that nation's steel industry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in injured
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 crippled
Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Had his dad not sensed something and dialed 911, Andrew, a star baseball player turned gambling addict in college, would have quietly checked out at age 33, leaving his twin infant sons, his guilt-crippled parents, and many thousands of dollars in gambling debts behind.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2025
Moments later, the crippled transport slammed into the black sands of Sólheimasandur.
—Marisa Garcia, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Those many months of combat have left Hamas severely weakened, with its leadership eviscerated and its military capabilities crippled.
—Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2025
Removing the rubble had already shut down PCH for months and crippled local businesses, but a rebuild would likely shrink PCH again as heavy equipment navigates the claustrophobic stretch of land.
—Jason Kravarik, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2025
Robert Merchant, Outdoor Life, 1 Oct. 2025
Such a finding could’ve crippled the operations of Google, Meta and X, among various others.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2025
Russian hackers crippled the Colonial Gas Pipeline for five days in 2021, causing shortages at 16,200 gas stations along the East Coast and widespread consumer anxiety before the company paid a $5 million ransom to regain access to its computers.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
This allowed Google to survive the dotcom crash that crippled its competitors.
—ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2025
Lysenko’s policies crippled agricultural science in the Soviet Union for decades.
—D. Scott Schmid, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
Killing, Corrupting, and Exiling of Science Under Hitler Widely regarded as the world’s research powerhouse in the 1920s and early 30s, German science was crippled by the Nazis starting in 1933, when Hitler gained power as Chancellor.
—Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The crisis has taken a toll on the Cuban population and sparked protests, crippled the economy and affected tourism.
—Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
Tony and Ziva race to the scene, finding the place crippled by a power outage followed by a ransom request for 115 million Euros.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
The unusually large protest crippled traffic in the heart of the Belgian capital, blocking major roads.
—Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Had his dad not sensed something and dialed 911, Andrew, a star baseball player turned gambling addict in college, would have quietly checked out at age 33, leaving his twin infant sons, his guilt-crippled parents, and many thousands of dollars in gambling debts behind.
—Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2025
Moments later, the crippled transport slammed into the black sands of Sólheimasandur.
—Marisa Garcia, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Those many months of combat have left Hamas severely weakened, with its leadership eviscerated and its military capabilities crippled.
—Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2025
Removing the rubble had already shut down PCH for months and crippled local businesses, but a rebuild would likely shrink PCH again as heavy equipment navigates the claustrophobic stretch of land.
—Jason Kravarik, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Another hunter had crippled him.
—Robert Merchant, Outdoor Life, 1 Oct. 2025
Such a finding could’ve crippled the operations of Google, Meta and X, among various others.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 29 Sep. 2025
Russian hackers crippled the Colonial Gas Pipeline for five days in 2021, causing shortages at 16,200 gas stations along the East Coast and widespread consumer anxiety before the company paid a $5 million ransom to regain access to its computers.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 23 Sep. 2025
This allowed Google to survive the dotcom crash that crippled its competitors.
—ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2025
Lysenko’s policies crippled agricultural science in the Soviet Union for decades.
—D. Scott Schmid, Denver Post, 22 Sep. 2025
Killing, Corrupting, and Exiling of Science Under Hitler Widely regarded as the world’s research powerhouse in the 1920s and early 30s, German science was crippled by the Nazis starting in 1933, when Hitler gained power as Chancellor.
—Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The crisis has taken a toll on the Cuban population and sparked protests, crippled the economy and affected tourism.
—Nora Gamez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
Tony and Ziva race to the scene, finding the place crippled by a power outage followed by a ransom request for 115 million Euros.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crippled
Verb
-
One caller said a delta-8 gummy incapacitated their adult son for several hours.—
Gina Lee Castro,
jsonline.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Another note that came up in the responses to this question is that everyone, of any age, should make sure that there are plans in place for a friend or relative to take care of the dog if the owner is incapacitated or dies.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Avoid cans that are damaged, dented, bulging, or leaking.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Adding mulch too early when temperatures are still warm traps heat and tricks plant roots to remain active and produce new growth that can be damaged by cold temperatures.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
How old was Christopher Reeve when he was paralyzed?—
Maddie Garfinkle,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Hong Kong/Tokyo — Japan’s favorite beer brand is reeling from a cyberattack that paralyzed its production last week.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
On Thursday, the Detroit Pistons shared bad news about Jaden Ivey who will miss a month after having a procedure on his injured right knee.—
Leah Olajide,
Freep.com,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Kemp was brought in as a replacement for an injured Harper this season and found some opportunities in various roles from that point on.—
Peter Chawaga,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Last year, landmines killed or wounded more than 5,700 people, the vast majority of whom were civilians, according to the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor, an annual report published by a consortium of non-profit groups.—
NPR,
NPR,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Over the past two years, more than 10% of Gaza’s population is dead or wounded; about 90% of its population has been displaced; 78% of all structures have been destroyed or damaged; 95% of hospitals have been rendered non-functional; and 90% of the schools have been damaged or destroyed.—
Shibley Telhami,
Time,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The criminal trial against the five players was widely followed across Canada and the sports world, and it was marred by logistical legal issues, including Judge Carroccia originally dismissing the trial in mid-May over the players’ defense attorneys’ behavior in court.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
-
The contest was marred by violent disorder, with five people taken to hospital and 62 injured.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Some of these technologies are essential for ensuring the proper functioning of the service or website and cannot be disabled, while others are optional but serve to enhance the user experience in various ways.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Police eventually disabled the vehicle by wrapping tape around one of its sensors, White said.—
Chris Kirkham,
Nashville Tennessean,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Unfortunately, it was later revealed that Ibushi had suffered a broken femur, something that could take a significant amount of time to return from.—
Jeremy Hanna,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Coristine recently recounted the incident that left him with a broken nose and a concussion.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crippled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crippled. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share