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
Unique among Western nations, France remained committed to producing nuclear energy while the rest of the world mothballed many nuclear facilities in reaction to disasters like Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima.
—
Daniel Markind, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Now Kelvin had experienced a level of public humiliation on par with Jesse’s Prayer Pods, and his entire Prism project, which had become a glittering monument to himself, would have to be mothballed, too.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
When Kar Kraft’s work on the vehicle was completed, it was shipped to Shelby American in Los Angeles for a full rebuild, then trucked back across country to Ford’s headquarters in Detroit, where it was mothballed in storage.
—Howard Walker, Robb Report, 24 Mar. 2025
Having spent its life mothballed in storage, the car shows only 75 kilometers (just less than 47 miles) on its digital odometer.
—Howard Walker, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mothball
Daniel Markind, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Now Kelvin had experienced a level of public humiliation on par with Jesse’s Prayer Pods, and his entire Prism project, which had become a glittering monument to himself, would have to be mothballed, too.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 21 Apr. 2025
When Kar Kraft’s work on the vehicle was completed, it was shipped to Shelby American in Los Angeles for a full rebuild, then trucked back across country to Ford’s headquarters in Detroit, where it was mothballed in storage.
—Howard Walker, Robb Report, 24 Mar. 2025
Having spent its life mothballed in storage, the car shows only 75 kilometers (just less than 47 miles) on its digital odometer.
—Howard Walker, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mothball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mothball
dismantle
Verb
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Where baby boomers and Gen Xers often stuck with one employer for decades, Gen Z is dismantling that concept.—
Adam Erace,
Fortune,
27 July 2025
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The state's bipartisan elections commission could be dismantled if Republican Josh Schoemann is elected governor.—
Jessie Opoien,
jsonline.com,
26 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mothball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mothball. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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