as in harm
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in incapacitating
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the car crash may have crippled two people for life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in damaging
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 paralyzing
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 crippling
Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Continue reading … ‘BACK TO COVID’ – Minnesota restaurant owners say ICE enforcement is crippling their businesses.
—FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Both have endured crippling US sanctions that have precipitated economic collapses.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 7 Jan. 2026
None of that was fearful because fear of the unknown, like fear of, showing up in a situation and not knowing what's gonna happen is like, that's a thing that's like crippling to adults and definitely crippling to teenagers.
—Outside Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Operating in packs, Germany’s submarines successfully sank countless Allied merchant vessels, nearly crippling the supply chains that sustained the United Kingdom.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
The administration is threatening to seize more tankers going forward, potentially further crippling the Venezuelan economy.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025
Since then, they've been forced to work remotely — at a time when the government was doling out return-to-office mandates — preventing access to labs and crippling the center's mission of embedding NASA climate scientists within international academia.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
On December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 Americans and crippling much of the Pacific Fleet.
—Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
With temperatures well into the teens and 20s, the ice storm on the southern side will be crippling in terms of travel conditions, trees and power outages.
—Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Continue reading … ‘BACK TO COVID’ – Minnesota restaurant owners say ICE enforcement is crippling their businesses.
—FOXNews.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Both have endured crippling US sanctions that have precipitated economic collapses.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 7 Jan. 2026
None of that was fearful because fear of the unknown, like fear of, showing up in a situation and not knowing what's gonna happen is like, that's a thing that's like crippling to adults and definitely crippling to teenagers.
—Outside Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Operating in packs, Germany’s submarines successfully sank countless Allied merchant vessels, nearly crippling the supply chains that sustained the United Kingdom.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
The administration is threatening to seize more tankers going forward, potentially further crippling the Venezuelan economy.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025
Since then, they've been forced to work remotely — at a time when the government was doling out return-to-office mandates — preventing access to labs and crippling the center's mission of embedding NASA climate scientists within international academia.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
On December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 Americans and crippling much of the Pacific Fleet.
—Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crippling
Noun
-
There are so many reasons to be mad; the mostly baseless and endless attacks on higher education, the dismantling of life-saving research, ICE, the subverting of policy that redresses shameful social harms.—
Wendy Nelson Espeland,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Feb. 2026
-
In the end, Johnson relied on a combination of White House pressure, late-night negotiations and a reluctant coalition of Republicans and Democrats who agreed that prolonging the shutdown would inflict unnecessary harm on federal workers and the broader economy.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Larter's Angela has been put through the wringer on the second season of Landman, from getting into an explosive battle with Thornton's Tommy over her period to getting arrested for incapacitating two health inspectors during a visit to her local nursing home.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Dysentery and scurvy ravaged the vessel, killing or incapacitating many on board.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sudden cold could be damaging to lawns due to the warm weather; most should regrow.—
Tom MacCubbin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026
-
But toward the end of the afternoon session, the Frenchman spun on the damp track and hit the wall, damaging his car.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The Islamic Republic has shut down the internet and cut off telephone communications, paralyzing the country.—
Shahrnush Parsipur,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
-
But even before their deaths and ensuing public outcry, James Beard Award–winning chef Sean Sherman saw fear paralyzing the city’s food community.—
Serena Maria Daniels,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Meanwhile, Jimmy offers humanity a very different kind of charity in the form of ritualistic mutilation.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Erby was also convicted of mutilation and five counts of burglary with the allegation he was armed with a deadly weapon.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
27 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Youthful pond hockey injuries and years of surfing scrapes have been absorbed as painful but far from disabling.—
Fred Schruers,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Civil liberties groups that publish protest safety guidance consistently recommend disabling the face and fingerprint unlocking features and using a strong passcode.—
Nicole M. Bennett,
The Conversation,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Including playoffs, Mayfield turned the ball over more than anyone else from 2023 through 2024, marring an otherwise fantastic two seasons in Tampa Bay.—
Jacob Robinson,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
An optional front rack on both models adds instant utility without marring the retro-fantastic looks.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Russian general was one of several GRU officials sanctioned by the United States in 2016 for wide-ranging malicious cyber activity directed at undermining US democratic processes.—
Anna Chernova,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Poor oversight puts care at risk by draining resources, enabling unsafe practices, and undermining long-term sustainability.—
Miki Kapoor,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crippling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crippling. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
