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
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
In recent months, Microsoft contracted with Constellation Energy to restart Unit 1 of the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania, which was mothballed 5 years ago.
—David Blackmon, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
The structure could be mothballed sometime next year until a plan for its reuse is determined.
—Jason Clayworth, Axios, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mothball
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
In recent months, Microsoft contracted with Constellation Energy to restart Unit 1 of the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania, which was mothballed 5 years ago.
—David Blackmon, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
The structure could be mothballed sometime next year until a plan for its reuse is determined.
—Jason Clayworth, Axios, 15 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mothball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mothball
dismantle
Verb
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Your president, your Supreme Court and your Republican Congress have allowed DOGE to dismantle all the privacy safeguards in these agencies that once protected our most personal information from being made public.—
Sal Recchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 June 2025
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These meetings take Oceane on a journey fighting a criminal network that is dismantling buses across European borders, leading to a dangerous late coming-of-age.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mothball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mothball. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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