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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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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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
That crippled Huawei’s smartphone brand, once one of the world’s biggest.
—
Joe McDonald, ajc, 9 Mar. 2023
Soon after, sanctions crippled the banking sector, food prices soared, and hospitals filled with malnourished children.
—Christina Goldbaum, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Feb. 2023
Soon after, sanctions crippled the banking sector, food prices soared and hospitals filled with malnourished children.
—Yaqoob Akbary Kiana Hayeri, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2023
If nothing is done, this could cripple the ISS.
—Kay Bailey Hutchison and Jane Harman, WSJ, 16 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for cripple
Joe McDonald, ajc, 9 Mar. 2023
Soon after, sanctions crippled the banking sector, food prices soared, and hospitals filled with malnourished children.
—Christina Goldbaum, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Feb. 2023
Soon after, sanctions crippled the banking sector, food prices soared and hospitals filled with malnourished children.
—Yaqoob Akbary Kiana Hayeri, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2023
If nothing is done, this could cripple the ISS.
—Kay Bailey Hutchison and Jane Harman, WSJ, 16 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for cripple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cripple
Verb
-
This decrease signifies a substantial revenue gap that could have incapacitated many companies.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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Near the Bering Strait, the crew spotted the Brunswick, incapacitated after striking ice and surrounded by other whalers preparing to buy off its goods.—
Francine Uenuma,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 June 2025
Verb
-
Clark has been injured and has struggled lately, going just 13-of-47 from three-point territory in her last three games and missing six of the Indiana Fever's 16 games this season.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
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At least 968 civilians were killed and over 4,800 injured.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
Trump deserves credit for ignoring the voices in Washington who counsel inaction out of an understandable but often paralyzing fear of unintended consequences.—
The Editors,
National Review,
24 June 2025
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Airpower paralyzed Saddam Hussein’s regime and rendered his military ineffective.—
David A. Deptula,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Verb
-
Keefe died from a fall and a head injury after suffering from a disabling condition, friends said.—
Edmund H. Mahony,
Hartford Courant,
11 July 2025
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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.—
Matthew Strauss,
Pitchfork,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Driving through deep water can also damage a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
1 July 2025
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But opponents contend that industrial animal agriculture actually jeopardizes food security, by damaging local ecosystems, undermining traditional agricultural practices, and intensifying climate harms.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
Verb
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Critics, including the National Head Start Association, warned the move will sow fear and confusion among families and undermine decades of inclusive policy.—
Amanda Castro
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
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And then the leftist media, which is looking to completely undermine our culture and our civilization, and knows that these things turn social norms on their head, pick up these concepts and promote them.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
11 July 2025
Verb
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In another tense and sleepless night for Kyiv residents, with many of them dashing in the dark with children, pets and blankets to the protection of subway stations, at least 22 people were wounded, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv Regional Administration.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
11 July 2025
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One person was killed and two others were wounded when the gunman, Thomas Crooks, opened fire.—
Isabel van Brugen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
The Mets go the way of Francisco Lindor, and he’s been marred in his own slump this month.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
30 June 2025
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The last weekend of June in Indianapolis was marred by a rash of shootings that left seven dead and nine others injured.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cripple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cripple. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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