1
as in incapacitates
to cause severe or permanent injury to
a promising athlete who was severely disabled in a plane crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Recent Examples of disables
Kids see a limited version of Roblox that removes riskier content and disables communication.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
The safe mode disables the BIA electrical current, so pregnant women and people with pacemakers can still use the scale to check their weight.
—Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026
The use of shock waves, or blast overpressure (BOP), kills or disables enemies with the force of the explosion, vaporizing the weapon’s plastic outer shell.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
The intensity of the heat disables my phone for an hour.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Some even have an immobilizer that disables the ignition if thieves have a key.
—Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
For more information on why The Athletic occasionally disables comments on stories, please click here.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
One of the biggest barriers to drones is electronic warfare, which disables drones by severing their connection with the user.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Dec. 2025
Activating sport mode disables one-pedal driving.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
The safe mode disables the BIA electrical current, so pregnant women and people with pacemakers can still use the scale to check their weight.
—Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 8 Apr. 2026
The use of shock waves, or blast overpressure (BOP), kills or disables enemies with the force of the explosion, vaporizing the weapon’s plastic outer shell.
—Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
The intensity of the heat disables my phone for an hour.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
Some even have an immobilizer that disables the ignition if thieves have a key.
—Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 24 Feb. 2026
For more information on why The Athletic occasionally disables comments on stories, please click here.
—James McNicholas, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
One of the biggest barriers to drones is electronic warfare, which disables drones by severing their connection with the user.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Dec. 2025
Activating sport mode disables one-pedal driving.
—Mark Phelan, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disables
Verb
-
Lorenzo confronts and incapacitates Pepe, Sonia’s main ally, before facing Sonia herself.—
Isabella Wandermurem,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Once an octopus ambushes and bites its prey, the venom in its saliva paralyzes the prey, allowing the octopus to consume it.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Monster blizzard paralyzes Northeast with extreme snow, soaring power outages.—
,
FOXNews.com,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
Critics are alarmed by its presence at the White House, saying the group promotes extreme views and undermines public schools.—
Collin Binkley,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
-
But this undermines the premise of personal style.—
Theara Coleman,
TheWeek,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This storyline later appeared in the second season of Girls, as Dunham’s character Hannah is overwhelmed with the anxiety of writing a novel and similarly injures herself.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
-
In her desperation to ask Val for a job on the new sitcom, Sharon falls and injures herself.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The exit of thousands of DOJ lawyers weakens law enforcement for many years to come, former DOJ lawyers told USA TODAY.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Abbott contends the policy weakens statewide coordination with federal authorities.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disables.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disables. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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