as in to dismantle
to stop using (something) while keeping it to be possibly used in the future
Many navy ships were mothballed after the war.
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Recent Examples of mothball
Those innovations were generally derided at the time, and the club mothballed the project after dismissing Gillis in 2014.
—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Miller had taken to toying with the addition in spring training in recent years, only to essentially mothball the pitch.
—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Rio Tinto’s $3 billion Jadar lithium project in Serbia was mothballed after permitting setbacks, raising questions about whether the EU badge is enough to override local politics and market cycles.
—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
30 Mar. 2026
In her closet were seven Ungaros, three Rykiels, a Kamali bathing suit and a Kamali sleeping-bag coat, five Kenzo dresses, two pieces from the Ballets Russes collection of Saint Laurent—all of which were trades or payments in kind, none of them mothballed, but instead worn ostentatiously and often.
—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mothball
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Miller had taken to toying with the addition in spring training in recent years, only to essentially mothball the pitch.
—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
Rio Tinto’s $3 billion Jadar lithium project in Serbia was mothballed after permitting setbacks, raising questions about whether the EU badge is enough to override local politics and market cycles.
—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
30 Mar. 2026
In her closet were seven Ungaros, three Rykiels, a Kamali bathing suit and a Kamali sleeping-bag coat, five Kenzo dresses, two pieces from the Ballets Russes collection of Saint Laurent—all of which were trades or payments in kind, none of them mothballed, but instead worn ostentatiously and often.
—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mothball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mothball
dismantle
Verb
-
That could mean dismantling the 10,500-foot runway the county installed there in the 1960s, before environmental groups — led by Marjory Stoneman Douglas — rose up to block what was supposed to be the country’s largest airport.
-
Some agencies are in the process of being dismantled; others were shut down altogether.
Cite this Entry
“Mothball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mothball. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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