cripples

verb

present tense third-person singular of cripple
1
as in incapacitates
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 injures
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 paralyzes
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move a wave of strikes crippled that nation's steel industry

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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 cripples Federal illegality further cripples operations with banking and tax burdens. — Peter Su, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026 In the final version of the film, Furiosa captures Dementus, cripples him, brings him back to the Citadel. — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2026 The author takes an overnight Amtrak journey instead of a flight to Washington as the government shutdown cripples Atlanta’s airport. — Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026 These pressures could produce a tsunami that fractures the state’s fiscal foundation, self-inflicts a crisis ultimately demanding drastic cuts, and cripples its competitiveness. — Andrew Rein, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026 Scarface and friends attack the lab, and break out the kryptonite that cripples El and Kali. — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 31 Dec. 2025 Second, this ambiguity around responsibility cripples an organization’s ability to respond effectively. — Nelson Lim, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025 Drones allow aggressors to target critical infrastructure that cripples a defender’s economy at low cost and with high accuracy. — Omar Al-Ubaydli, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025 An ongoing alien siege cripples the world’s militaries, infrastructure, and communication centers but Will can run Premiere Pro, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and remote control a Tesla all at the same time. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cripples
  1. incapacitates
  2. injures
  3. paralyzes
  4. disables
  5. damages
  6. undermines
  7. maims
  8. mars
Verb
  • The Martian tells the story of astronaut Mark Watney, who becomes stranded on Mars after a dust storm incapacitates him.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 28 May 2026
  • Lorenzo confronts and incapacitates Pepe, Sonia’s main ally, before facing Sonia herself.
    — Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
Definition of incapacitates
Verb
  • The heist goes wrong when one sister injures her back and ends up trapped on the second floor, setting off an increasingly frantic bid to get out before the homeowner comes home.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Early on in the clip, Jake Johnson’s former tennis star Dusty Boyd trips over the net and injures his wrist in a bad way.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 23 June 2026
Definition of injures
Verb
  • Fear, like ignorance, shuts our eyes to and paralyzes our trust in God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and unfailing love for His children, whereas the understanding of God’s ever-present goodness removes the fear that generates suffering.
    — André Kisonga, Christian Science Monitor, 30 June 2026
  • These opportunists drown out the core mission, creating a cacophony of competing voices that confuses donors, crowd the inboxes of CEOs and members of Congress with colliding petitions, and paralyzes meaningful action by draining critical funding and attention away from the truly effective groups.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026
Definition of paralyzes
Verb
  • Nitrous oxide irreversibly disables methionine synthase, the enzyme your body needs to build and maintain the myelin sheath insulating the nerves.
    — Jesse M. Pines, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Restricted Mode disables all iPhone apps and services other than essential apps like the App Store, Health, Phone, Messages, Clock, Settings, Wallet, and Passwords.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 24 July 2026
Definition of disables
Verb
  • The study also found that 28% of all meetings have long-lasting negative effects, and nearly half of the workforce (47%) actively damages coworker relationships by venting about their frustration after the fact.
    — Janine Schindler, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • So gadusol is this natural compound that some fish make, especially in their eggs, to protect themselves from that same ultraviolet light that damages our skin.
    — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of damages
Verb
  • The coalition filed an amicus brief urging a federal judge in Idaho to block enforcement of the law while the lawsuit moves forward, arguing that the measure is unconstitutional and undermines the rights and safety of transgender students.
    — Darrielle Fair, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In pastel on brown paper, the loose, gestural application further undermines the boundaries between bodies.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of undermines
Verb
  • The attack only maims Aegon, who is left bedridden and unable to walk on his own.
    — Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 20 June 2026
Definition of maims
Verb
  • Especially the guy who bangs a wrecking ball against the historic East Wing to make room for an incongruous ballroom monstrosity, who mars the sacred Oval Office with gold glitter and paves over the lovely Rose Garden.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Jacob Whitehead Homophobic chant mars Mexico’s win Before the World Cup, the Mexican football federation launched a campaign that featured the heroes of the country’s 1986 World Cup side.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026
Definition of mars

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Cite this Entry

“Cripples.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cripples. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on cripples

Nglish: Translation of cripples for Spanish Speakers

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