disable

verb

dis·​able dis-ˈā-bəl How to pronounce disable (audio)
diz-ˈā-
disabled; disabling dis-ˈā-b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce disable (audio)
diz-ˈā-

transitive verb

1
a
: to make ineffective or inoperative
disable a bomb
For victims of smartphone theft, the ultimate justice is hitting a button that disables the device, turning it into a worthless rectangular paperweight.Heather Kelley
… gene editing makes it possible to change or disable a single gene without changing the "meaning" of the rest of the genome.Kat McGowan
b
: to impair physically or mentally : to cause disability in
Automobile accidents kill nearly 50,000 people each year. … Accidents maim or disable another 80,000.Matt Clark and Mary Hager
Diet-related Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease disable and kill people …Mark Bittman
2
: to deprive of legal right, qualification, or capacity
… the injured party was released from the bonds of marriage; but the offender, during life, or a term of years, was disabled from the repetition of nuptials.Edward Gibbon
disablement noun
physical disablement
Nor does it tackle the disablement of any North Korean program to enrich uranium. Thomas Omestad
disabling adjective
Bipolar disorder is one of the world's 10 most disabling conditions, taking away years of healthy functioning from individuals who have the illness. David J. Kupfer
This is a rare, disabling pain disorder in which ordinary sensation such as touch, warmth and coolness are perceived as painful and minor knocks are agonizing. Maia Szalavitz
Choose the Right Synonym for disable

weaken, enfeeble, debilitate, undermine, sap, disable mean to lose or cause to lose strength or vigor.

weaken may imply loss of physical strength, health, soundness, or stability or of quality, intensity, or effective power.

a disease that weakens the body's defenses

enfeeble implies a condition of marked weakness and helplessness.

enfeebled by starvation

debilitate suggests a less marked or more temporary impairment of strength or vitality.

the debilitating effects of surgery

undermine and sap suggest a weakening by something working surreptitiously and insidiously.

a poor diet undermines your health
drugs had sapped his ability to think

disable suggests bringing about impairment or limitation in a physical or mental ability.

disabled by an injury sustained at work

Examples of disable in a Sentence

a promising athlete who was severely disabled in a plane crash disabled the controls for unauthorized users
Recent Examples on the Web At 2:45, a pair of revolving sirens threw blue beams around the room: The system that maintained the plant’s water levels had been disabled, and one of its tanks began to fill at an alarming rate. Chris Wheatley, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024 Line cuts near signal tracks have disabled warning lights and gates. Jason Green, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 For instance, if seatbelts are unbuckled or if automatic emergency braking is turned off, the systems should be disabled. Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Does the firm reply to any negative reviews, and if so, how? Your Workers’ Compensation Claim Has Value, and So Do You If you have been disabled, especially at work, then the consequences to you can be serious and long-lasting. David Stubblefield, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 There is some merit to Google’s concern: RCS messaging has faced challenges with tackling spam forcing Google to disable its RCS ads feature in India back in 2022, for example. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2024 In the past, officials have said Coast Guard marksmen onboard the helicopters fire disabling shots. Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2024 Once selected, the thread no longer appears in the Inbox and notifications are disabled. Gene Marks, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 Those types of mines are far more expensive than old-fashioned anti-personnel mines, which as part of conventional military doctrine are scattered around an antitank mine to make the larger charge harder to disable. Michael Birnbaum, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English disablen "to deprive of legal rights" (in past participle disabled), borrowed from Anglo-French desabler, from des- dis- + able able, or from abler "to permit, make able to inherit," derivative of able able

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of disable was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near disable

Cite this Entry

“Disable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disable. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

disable

verb
dis·​able dis-ˈā-bəl How to pronounce disable (audio)
disabled; disabling -b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce disable (audio)
1
: to disqualify legally
2
: to cause to be unable to do or act
disable a computer key
especially : to deprive of physical or moral strength
a disabling illness
disablement noun

Medical Definition

disable

transitive verb
dis·​able dis-ˈā-bəl, diz- How to pronounce disable (audio)
disabled; disabling -b(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce disable (audio)
: to impair physically or mentally : to cause disability in
Automobile accidents kill nearly 50,000 people each year. … Accidents maim or disable another 80,000.Matt Clark and Mary Hager
Diet-related Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease disable and kill people …Mark Bittman

Legal Definition

disable

transitive verb
dis·​able
disabled; disabling
1
: to deprive of legal right, qualification, or capacity
2
: to make incapable or ineffective
specifically : to cause to have a disability
disablement noun

More from Merriam-Webster on disable

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