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disables

verb

present tense third-person singular of disable
1
as in incapacitates
to cause severe or permanent injury to a promising athlete who was severely disabled in a plane crash

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in paralyzes
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move disabled the controls for unauthorized users

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 disables The sole survivor disables HAL by disconnecting the power source. — Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2026 Operating anywhere near the bottom effectively disables the reserve due to a hard legal stop and the loss of emergency flow rates. — Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026 If a collision disables the low-voltage electrical system, those familiar controls may stop working. — Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 However, these videos were posted before July, which is when Meta rolled out a new update that disables the smart glasses camera when it is altered. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 HyperX includes a dedicated Game Mode, toggled with Fn and F12, which disables the Windows key to prevent accidental interruptions during gameplay. — Sascha Brodsky, PC Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026 Likewise, a captain who temporarily disables a transmitter may escape detection if oversight depends solely on physical inspections. — IEEE Spectrum, 16 July 2026 Five of eight inbound vessels were said to be dark, which is when a ship disables its Automatic Identification System, or AIS, transponder to hide its location, identity and destination. — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 22 June 2026 But the virus that causes Ebola somehow disables this response. — Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disables
  1. incapacitates
  2. paralyzes
  3. cripples
  4. undermines
  5. injures
  6. weakens
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 wasp gets its name from its reproductive cycle, where a female paralyzes a tarantula to serve as a live host for her larva.
    — Sean Donnelly, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of paralyzes
Verb
  • 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
Definition of cripples
Verb
  • Providing false or misleading information to law enforcement undermines those efforts and unnecessarily diverts officers and resources away from members of our community who may need immediate police assistance.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
  • In this telling, the column contends that the president’s rhetoric trivializes public anxiety about potential catastrophic risks and undermines efforts to build serious safety frameworks.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of undermines
Verb
  • This pest injures the host plant by using its piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on plant sap.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Travel could require boarding or pet-sitting expenses, while a dog that damages property or injures someone could create potential liability issues.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of injures
Verb
  • Each decision to move work overseas further weakens the economic conditions needed to sustain domestic capacity.
    — George Whittier, Forbes.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • However, Bernstein pointed out that even if the global AI trade weakens, India is unlikely to see any major reversal of foreign capital flows.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of weakens

Browse Nearby Words

disablements
disables
disabling
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Cite this Entry

“Disables.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disables. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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