1
as in crippling
to cause severe or permanent injury to
a promising athlete who was severely disabled in a plane crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in paralyzing
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
disabled the controls for unauthorized users
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of disabling
The crew then fired three rounds into the starboard engine, disabling the boat about four miles southwest of Point Loma.
—
Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
Since alopecia is a socially disabling condition, being naturally bald in public can feel like a radical statement.
—Essence, 24 Sep. 2025
The university also asks the court to order online marketplaces, payment processors and other companies that do business with the defendants from disabling and ceasing to provide services.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Start with more manageable aspects of online safety when kids are younger, like disabling direct messages and limits on screen time, and build your way towards topics that will require a nuanced understanding of social dynamics online.
—Ashleigh N. Deluca, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025
If using a smartphone, NOAA recommends enabling night mode, disabling flash and relying on a tripod to stabilize the image.
—Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Though an Indiana judge dismissed the charges alleging neglect based on Natalia’s age, prosecutors were able to bring charges against the former couple for neglect based on Natalia’s disabling dwarfism, the Journal and Courier reported.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
The crew would indeed appear to be at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, because the Navy wasn’t satisfied with disabling the speedboat with a single powerful strike, but kept bombing it to smithereens after the initial hit.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
The Regional Transportation District shut down train service and ran bus shuttles along the A Line on Friday morning after someone stole copper wiring along the rail corridor, disabling the agency’s anti-crash system for trains.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2025
Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
Since alopecia is a socially disabling condition, being naturally bald in public can feel like a radical statement.
—Essence, 24 Sep. 2025
The university also asks the court to order online marketplaces, payment processors and other companies that do business with the defendants from disabling and ceasing to provide services.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Start with more manageable aspects of online safety when kids are younger, like disabling direct messages and limits on screen time, and build your way towards topics that will require a nuanced understanding of social dynamics online.
—Ashleigh N. Deluca, Parents, 16 Sep. 2025
If using a smartphone, NOAA recommends enabling night mode, disabling flash and relying on a tripod to stabilize the image.
—Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Though an Indiana judge dismissed the charges alleging neglect based on Natalia’s age, prosecutors were able to bring charges against the former couple for neglect based on Natalia’s disabling dwarfism, the Journal and Courier reported.
—Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
The crew would indeed appear to be at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, because the Navy wasn’t satisfied with disabling the speedboat with a single powerful strike, but kept bombing it to smithereens after the initial hit.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 12 Sep. 2025
The Regional Transportation District shut down train service and ran bus shuttles along the A Line on Friday morning after someone stole copper wiring along the rail corridor, disabling the agency’s anti-crash system for trains.
—John Aguilar, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disabling
Verb
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Related Stories Pogachefsky is now suing 42West and his former employees, accusing them of crippling his company and scuttling his talks to sell the firm.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
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While many may worry that lending financial support to their children may be crippling them or enabling them, nearly 77% of the parents surveyed do so with some kind of stipulation or contingency.—
Essence,
Essence,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The pressure Alex, who is endowed by Martin with endearing softness and paralyzing self-doubt, feels to be a brave cop, a strong father, and the righteous hero of this story can’t be separated from his experience as a trans man still honing his relationship to masculinity.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
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By contrast, maybe such language engenders a sense of defeatism, a belief in the inevitability of collapse which is collectively paralyzing.—
Ed Simon
September 24,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While the name suggests something far more trivial, significant damage to the ligaments of the metatarsophalangeal joint can be incapacitating.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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To write one’s way out of the incapacitating dependence of daughterhood into autonomy means shedding the unquestioning fidelity of a child.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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And, frankly, James Comey is one of the main culprits in undermining the public's trust in agencies like the FBI.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Sep. 2025
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Negotiations serve not only to address collective goods but also increasingly to secure geopolitical advantage, often undermining cooperative outcomes.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Williams’ brother allegedly shot the man several times, critically wounding him.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
30 Sep. 2025
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Still, Nevo's mind often drifts to the moment in Gaza when Palestinian militants detonated explosives in a home, wounding him and killing two close friends in his army unit.—
Daniel Estrin,
NPR,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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If the economy is not weakening, but strengthening, the outlook for inflation could tilt higher.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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Equal-weight consumer discretionary has been under a bit of pressure, with restaurant and travel names weakening, and is now clearly underperforming the broad market on a one-year basis.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The beginning of the season is off to an unsettled start as Middle Tennessee is forecasted to experience several days of potentially severe weather, including damaging winds and heavy downpours.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
25 Sep. 2025
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Ukrainian drones struck the Marinovka airfield in Russia’s Volgograd Oblast on June 27, damaging or destroying four Su-34s.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Disabling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disabling. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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