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

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 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 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 Likewise, a captain who temporarily disables a transmitter may escape detection if oversight depends solely on physical inspections. — IEEE Spectrum, 16 July 2026 Apple has a similar feature on the iPhone where pressing the side and volume buttons simultaneously disables Face ID. — Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 27 June 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 Recently, researchers in Germany developed a chain-launching drone interceptor that disables UAVs by tangling their spinning rotors midair. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 8 May 2026 Imagining an eternity of this, Creasy disables his car’s braking system and drives into a concrete pylon. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026 Kids see a limited version of Roblox that removes riskier content and disables communication. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • State leaders have introduced Assembly Bill 1383, which undermines crucial PEPRA guardrails, granting an unfunded pension benefit increase to first responders by reducing their retirement age.
    — Zachary Christensen, Oc Register, 24 July 2026
  • The San Francisco arts community has long prized its bohemia (which dates back to the late 1870s); and the past few months its members have accused the AI entrepreneurs and their ecosystem of bringing an emphasis on commerce that undermines bohemia.
    — Michael Bernick, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of undermines
Verb
  • 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
  • Who is responsible when a robot breaks something or injures someone?
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2026
Definition of injures
Verb
  • Remove those resources, and the nominal tax rule remains unchanged while its practical effect weakens.
    — Andrew Leahey, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • Prolonged screen time tightens the muscles that support the neck and weakens the deep neck flexors responsible for holding the head aligned over the spine.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 July 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 27 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of disables for Spanish Speakers

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