1
as in to incapacitate
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the car crash may have crippled two people for life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to injure
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
the collision so severely crippled the ship that it had to be towed into port
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to paralyze
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
a wave of strikes crippled that nation's steel industry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cripple
In 2021, a record-shattering outbreak of cold in Texas crippled the state’s electric grid, a meltdown blamed in large part on failures in its gas infrastructure.
—
Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Widespread power outages, dilapidated equipment, and a lack of spare parts from absent foreign firms crippled operations.
—Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Experts say the rule is outdated and could cripple traditional broadcasters already struggling to compete with unregulated streaming and digital platforms.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Microsoft has found what caused an outage that crippled its services like Outlook and Teams.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cripple
Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Widespread power outages, dilapidated equipment, and a lack of spare parts from absent foreign firms crippled operations.
—Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
Experts say the rule is outdated and could cripple traditional broadcasters already struggling to compete with unregulated streaming and digital platforms.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
Microsoft has found what caused an outage that crippled its services like Outlook and Teams.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cripple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cripple
Verb
-
In the first half of the Super Bowl against Cincinnati, Beckham suffered a complete ACL tear and was incapacitated.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The two climbers, 47 and 50 years old, were requesting assistance, saying they were incapacitated and unable to continue their route.—
Jennifer McRae,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Dozens more were injured, many suffering serious or life-threatening injuries.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Italy’s national fire and rescue service, Vigili del Fuoco, reported that, over the weekend, two people died and one was seriously injured in Alpe Meriggio in Valtellina after being caught in an avalanche that fatally buried at least one of the victims.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Because of the paralyzing fear caused by their operation, small businesses whose customer bases and workforces include immigrant community members temporarily closed due to the sharp drop in customers and fear that their businesses would be subject to CBP raids.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
-
McDonald was only 20 months on the job when a 15-year-old suspect, Shavod Jones, opened fire on him in Central Park on July 12, 1986, striking McDonald in the face, neck and wrist, and paralyzing him instantly.—
Barry Williams,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Louisville beat its Boulder County neighbor to the punch by several months, disabling its Flock cameras at the end of June and removing them by the start of October.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2026
-
For a variety of reasons, the current Tasers often don’t connect and disable a suspect, Tisch said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In some cases, UNIFIL vehicles were damaged.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
-
During media interviews after Sunday’s win, Johnson revealed that her gold medal was already damaged.—
Rachel Roberts,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Does this argument fit the full suite of facts, or are there inconvenient findings that undermine the argument?—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Bailey asserted that retiree speech could still undermine good order and discipline, and denied that Hegseth’s actions would extend the reach of the military’s punitive powers over retirees.—
Missy Ryan,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The report details multiple instances in 2025 of grenades being dropped by Israeli drones near UNIFIL patrols, including an attack in October that wounded a peacekeeper, as well as machine-gun fire near UNIFIL positions.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Under past administrations, most noncitizens with no criminal record who were arrested away from the border had an opportunity to request a bond hearing while their cases wound through immigration court.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The demoralizing graffiti marring the main entrance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 360 Lenox Ave.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Hubbard’s own time at UT was marred by controversy over his study of pederasty, the study of adult male relationships with boys in ancient Greece.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cripple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cripple. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
