as in to dismantle
to stop using (something) while keeping it to be possibly used in the future
Many navy ships were mothballed after the war.
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Recent Examples of mothball
The Trump rescission bill made it through the House and Senate and mothballs federal funding for National Public Radio, public TV and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
—
Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 25 July 2025
Forget drill, baby, drill; at current prices America’s drillers have been mothballing rigs at a rapid clip to preserve capital.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
The previous administration gradually mothballed most of the signage and emblems that commemorated the franchise’s three World Series championships from 2010 to 2014.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 8 June 2025
Output from the mine went into a gradual decline following the War, and it was mothballed in 1996.
—David Blackmon, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for mothball
Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 25 July 2025
Forget drill, baby, drill; at current prices America’s drillers have been mothballing rigs at a rapid clip to preserve capital.
—Christopher Helman, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
The previous administration gradually mothballed most of the signage and emblems that commemorated the franchise’s three World Series championships from 2010 to 2014.
—Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 8 June 2025
Output from the mine went into a gradual decline following the War, and it was mothballed in 1996.
—David Blackmon, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for mothball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mothball
dismantle
Verb
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In 1991, the government dismantled the protectionist economic policies of its socialist past, cracking open the nation to the world.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
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Yet, that’s all threatened by the Proposition 50 maps, which completely dismantle his current district, parceling many of the most Republican-leaning areas into surrounding Democratic majority seats.—
David Mark,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mothball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mothball. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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