as in harm
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1
as in incapacitating
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the car crash may have crippled two people for life
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2
as in damaging
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
the collision so severely crippled the ship that it had to be towed into port
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3
as in paralyzing
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
a wave of strikes crippled that nation's steel industry
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crippling
Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 7 Jan. 2026
None of that was fearful because fear of the unknown, like fear of, showing up in a situation and not knowing what's gonna happen is like, that's a thing that's like crippling to adults and definitely crippling to teenagers.
—Outside Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Operating in packs, Germany’s submarines successfully sank countless Allied merchant vessels, nearly crippling the supply chains that sustained the United Kingdom.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
The administration is threatening to seize more tankers going forward, potentially further crippling the Venezuelan economy.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025
Since then, they've been forced to work remotely — at a time when the government was doling out return-to-office mandates — preventing access to labs and crippling the center's mission of embedding NASA climate scientists within international academia.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
On December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 Americans and crippling much of the Pacific Fleet.
—Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
Perreira agrees that the financial imbalance in the game is crippling West Indies.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Related Stories Pogachefsky is now suing 42West and his former employees, accusing them of crippling his company and scuttling his talks to sell the firm.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
Verb
Both have endured crippling US sanctions that have precipitated economic collapses.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 7 Jan. 2026
None of that was fearful because fear of the unknown, like fear of, showing up in a situation and not knowing what's gonna happen is like, that's a thing that's like crippling to adults and definitely crippling to teenagers.
—Outside Online, 31 Dec. 2025
Operating in packs, Germany’s submarines successfully sank countless Allied merchant vessels, nearly crippling the supply chains that sustained the United Kingdom.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
The administration is threatening to seize more tankers going forward, potentially further crippling the Venezuelan economy.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2025
Since then, they've been forced to work remotely — at a time when the government was doling out return-to-office mandates — preventing access to labs and crippling the center's mission of embedding NASA climate scientists within international academia.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
On December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese aircraft attacked Pearl Harbor, killing 2,403 Americans and crippling much of the Pacific Fleet.
—Big Think, 20 Oct. 2025
Perreira agrees that the financial imbalance in the game is crippling West Indies.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025
Related Stories Pogachefsky is now suing 42West and his former employees, accusing them of crippling his company and scuttling his talks to sell the firm.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crippling
Noun
-
The law allows judges to order the seizure of guns from people who pose a significant risk of harm.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Local reports noted that the woman miraculously survived partly because her helmet helped prevent more serious harm.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The only way to repair the rift and deal with the incapacitating grief is through art.—
James Shapiro,
The Atlantic,
1 Dec. 2025
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He is accused of slipping incapacitating drugs into victims’ food or drinks before assaulting them between 2021 and 2024.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Historical precedent suggests 18-24 months between credibility-damaging foreign policy moments and electoral materialization.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Several other cases remain pending — most notably the high-profile conspiracy charges against six protesters, including several Democratic political candidates, accused of impeding immigration officers and damaging a vehicle outside the Broadview ICE facility in September.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The region is grappling with a winter storm that is paralyzing activity in the area with freezing precipitation on its roads, discouraging shoppers from heading out to stores.—
Brian Womack,
Dallas Morning News,
24 Jan. 2026
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An inspiration to all is assistant manager of excursions Kineret Munoz, who hasn’t let a paralyzing car accident dampen her spirit of adventure one little bit.—
Sarah Marshall,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Erby was also convicted of mutilation and five counts of burglary with the allegation he was armed with a deadly weapon.—
Christine Pelisek,
PEOPLE,
27 Dec. 2025
-
Among them was Miriam, who feared torture or death if she was forced to return there, and the twenty-one-year-old Togolese woman who had also fled genital mutilation.—
Sarah Stillman,
New Yorker,
24 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Youthful pond hockey injuries and years of surfing scrapes have been absorbed as painful but far from disabling.—
Fred Schruers,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2026
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Civil liberties groups that publish protest safety guidance consistently recommend disabling the face and fingerprint unlocking features and using a strong passcode.—
Nicole M. Bennett,
The Conversation,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Including playoffs, Mayfield turned the ball over more than anyone else from 2023 through 2024, marring an otherwise fantastic two seasons in Tampa Bay.—
Jacob Robinson,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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An optional front rack on both models adds instant utility without marring the retro-fantastic looks.—
William Roberson,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Trump this week deployed border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota after this month’s fatal shootings of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, undermining Noem’s leadership of her department.—
Naomi Lim,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Jan. 2026
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And election officials across the country are warning that the administration’s combative approach is making their jobs harder and undermining Americans’ faith in the electoral process.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crippling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crippling. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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