disable
verb
dis·able
dis-ˈā-bəl 
diz-ˈā-
disabled; disabling
dis-ˈā-b(ə-)liŋ
diz-ˈā-
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
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
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
Matt Clark and Mary HagerDiet-related Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease disable and kill people …—Mark Bittman
Mark Bittman2
: 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
Edward Gibbon
disablement
dis-ˈā-bəl-mənt
noun
diz-ˈā-
physical disablement
Nor does it tackle the disablement of any North Korean program to enrich uranium.
—Thomas Omestad
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
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
Maia Szalavitz
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
Half would be reserved for students from lower-income households or those who are disabled, but any student entitled to attend a public school could access the remaining 10,000.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
The label reminds consumers to use the lock out/control lock function on the range panel to disable activation of the heating elements when not in use.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2025
Our lives have been filled with extreme flooding that disable our neighborhoods even on sunny days, rain bombs that bring life to a standstill, gentrification from developers rushing to capture our limited supply of higher ground and increasingly more destructive monster hurricanes.
—Julie Topf, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2025
Porsche asked us to keep traction control and ESC enabled during our drive—there are one-touch buttons to disable them—and given the muddy and dusty state of the roads, this was a wise idea.
—Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for disable 
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Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
The label reminds consumers to use the lock out/control lock function on the range panel to disable activation of the heating elements when not in use.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2025
Our lives have been filled with extreme flooding that disable our neighborhoods even on sunny days, rain bombs that bring life to a standstill, gentrification from developers rushing to capture our limited supply of higher ground and increasingly more destructive monster hurricanes.
—Julie Topf, Sun Sentinel, 3 Feb. 2025
Porsche asked us to keep traction control and ESC enabled during our drive—there are one-touch buttons to disable them—and given the muddy and dusty state of the roads, this was a wise idea.
—Ars Technica, 29 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for disable
Dictionary Entries Near disable
Cite this Entry
“Disable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disable. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
disable
verb
dis·able
dis-ˈā-bəl
disabled; disabling
-b(ə-)liŋ
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
Medical Definition
disable
transitive verb
dis·able
dis-ˈā-bəl, diz-
disabled; disabling
-b(ə-)liŋ
: 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
Matt Clark and Mary HagerDiet-related Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease disable and kill people …—Mark Bittman
Mark BittmanLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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