1
as in crippling
to cause severe or permanent injury to
a promising athlete who was severely disabled in a plane crash
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in paralyzing
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
disabled the controls for unauthorized users
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of disabling
Additional options allow toggling Anisotropic Materials, Chromatic Aberration, and Bloom, and disabling Global Illumination entirely.
—
Jennifer Maas, Variety, 3 Feb. 2026
Climate change itself has become a major risk factor, with heatwaves disabling power plants and droughts drying up hydro reservoirs.
—Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
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
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
Prosecutors allege Paul Caneiro cut the power to his brother's home, disabling a surveillance system that hours earlier picked up Keith leaving an angry message for Paul.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
The suit seeks compensation, noting that Dinkins has suffered permanent, disabling injuries that will limit his future earning capacity.
—Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
The dark or shadow fleet is a clandestine network of older oil tankers working with sanctioned nations, such as Iran and Russia, that conceal their oil trips by disabling tracking, using fake identities, and other tactics.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
Video footage shared by the Department of Homeland Security shows Coast Guard personnel, including a sniper from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON), using disabling fire against a go-fast vessel during the mission, which was part of Operation Pacific Viper.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Jennifer Maas, Variety, 3 Feb. 2026
Climate change itself has become a major risk factor, with heatwaves disabling power plants and droughts drying up hydro reservoirs.
—Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
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
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
Prosecutors allege Paul Caneiro cut the power to his brother's home, disabling a surveillance system that hours earlier picked up Keith leaving an angry message for Paul.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 12 Jan. 2026
The suit seeks compensation, noting that Dinkins has suffered permanent, disabling injuries that will limit his future earning capacity.
—Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 2 Jan. 2026
The dark or shadow fleet is a clandestine network of older oil tankers working with sanctioned nations, such as Iran and Russia, that conceal their oil trips by disabling tracking, using fake identities, and other tactics.
—Jordan Blum, Fortune, 17 Dec. 2025
Video footage shared by the Department of Homeland Security shows Coast Guard personnel, including a sniper from the Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON), using disabling fire against a go-fast vessel during the mission, which was part of Operation Pacific Viper.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disabling
Verb
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With temperatures well into the teens and 20s, the ice storm on the southern side will be crippling in terms of travel conditions, trees and power outages.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Continue reading … ‘BACK TO COVID’ – Minnesota restaurant owners say ICE enforcement is crippling their businesses.—
,
FOXNews.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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Larter's Angela has been put through the wringer on the second season of Landman, from getting into an explosive battle with Thornton's Tommy over her period to getting arrested for incapacitating two health inspectors during a visit to her local nursing home.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Jan. 2026
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Dysentery and scurvy ravaged the vessel, killing or incapacitating many on board.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Broad political characterizations oversimplify complex legal processes and risk undermining confidence in an independent judiciary.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Adding Medicaid work-reporting requirements to this already fragile balancing act risks undermining the system that makes aging in the community possible.—
Emily D. Tisdale,
STAT,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Last week, a drone strike hit close to a WFP facility in the Blue Nile province, wounding a WFP worker, Brown said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
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Last week, a drone strike hit close to a WFP facility in the Blue Nile province, wounding a WFP worker, Brown also said.—
Samy Magdy,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But the big problem is why the dollar is weakening.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
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Nevertheless, proponents of the theory have suggested without evidence that the substation’s electromagnetic fields could be damaging players’ soft tissues and weakening their tendons.—
Aria Bendix,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The best way to avoid damaging your curls is to create an anchor point for your veil to adhere to.—
Shelby Wax,
Vogue,
7 Feb. 2026
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Lajčák stepped down to avoid damaging his ally, Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, but denies any material wrongdoing.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Disabling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disabling. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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