Synonym Chooser

How is the word disable distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of disable are cripple, debilitate, enfeeble, sap, undermine, and weaken. While all these words mean "to lose or cause to lose strength or vigor," disable suggests bringing about impairment or limitation in a physical or mental ability.

disabled by an injury sustained at work

When might cripple be a better fit than disable?

While the synonyms cripple and disable are close in meaning, cripple implies causing a serious loss of functioning power through damaging or removing an essential part or element.

crippled by arthritis

When is debilitate a more appropriate choice than disable?

The meanings of debilitate and disable largely overlap; however, debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality.

the debilitating effects of surgery

When could enfeeble be used to replace disable?

Although the words enfeeble and disable have much in common, enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness.

enfeebled by starvation

How are the words undermine and sap related as synonyms of disable?

Both undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously.

a poor diet undermines your health
drugs had sapped his ability to think

When is it sensible to use weaken instead of disable?

While in some cases nearly identical to disable, weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power.

a disease that weakens the body's defenses

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 disable The study involved 198 adults with generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, a disabling form of anxiety that affects about 1 in 10 people over the course of a year. Jon Hamilton, NPR, 5 Sep. 2025 Ursula von der Leyen was on her way to Bulgaria when the plane’s navigation systems were disabled, forcing the jet to land using paper maps. Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 4 Sep. 2025 After Wednesday disables the machine with an axe, Isaac’s ability no longer works, and Thing attacks him. Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025 Rather than using projectiles for a kinetic kill, these weapons rely on electromagnetic energy to disable a target through heat, disruption of internal electrical systems, or blinding of sensors such as optics and radar. Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for disable
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disable
Verb
  • 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
  • The last time active-duty military was sent to Chicago against the wishes of local officials was on July 4, 1894, according to the archives of the Chicago Tribune, when a labor dispute at a Pullman factory crippled the nation’s rail industry and resulted in days of rioting.
    Andy Rose, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Doctors spent several minutes resuscitating Luka before making the difficult decision to use a paralyzing agent to stop him from moving and potentially hurting himself.
    Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Without these supports, free-will can feel utterly paralyzing.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • By setting up permissions in advance, the agent (individual with the power to act on behalf of someone else) can step in immediately if the account owner is incapacitated.
    Kristin McKenna, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • In addition to grandmaster status, Myers is also a fourth degree in hosinsool, a self-defense technique used to protect, disarm and incapacitate an attacker, focusing on practicality to end a dangerous situation quickly with powerful strikes, locks and take-downs.
    Nicole Stracek, Twin Cities, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Now, its Supreme Court is moving to hold a former president accountable for allegedly trying to undermine democracy and steer the country back toward authoritarian rule.
    Júlia Dias Carneiro, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Failing to meet that obligation undermines not only educational opportunity, but also the sovereignty, economic vitality, and cultural survival of Tribal nations.
    Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The severity, healing and availability of Purdy’s toe will depend heavily on which toe is injured and what specific part of the toe got injured.
    Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Almost certainly out this week also is injured receiver Xavier Worthy (shoulder), who provided most of the scant glimmers of hope in the Super Bowl with eight catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
    Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Foreign powers such as Russia and China, which challenge America and its allies from Europe to the Middle East to Taiwan and the South China Sea, have long been accused of exploiting such divisions through disinformation campaigns that inflame tensions and weaken confidence in American governance.
    Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
  • But around the equinoxes, the natural buffer weakens.
    Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 12 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Disable.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disable. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on disable

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