disabling

verb

present participle of disable
1
as in crippling
to cause severe or permanent injury to a promising athlete who was severely disabled in a plane crash

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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 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 disabling When the user reached out to Meta, a support staff member reportedly recommended disabling several settings, including mic and camera permissions. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026 The next day, Ukrainian drones hit the company's major data center in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, disabling part of the facility, Yandex said. — Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026 The next day, Ukrainian drones hit the company’s major data center in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, disabling part of the facilty, Yandex said. — Susie Blann, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 The next day, Ukrainian drones hit the company’s major data center in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, disabling part of the facility, Yandex said. — ABC News, 11 Oct. 2026 That’s the position that is somewhat disabling us and disarming us. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 Oct. 2026 Sullivan described another high school student who came from a wealthier background but became vulnerable after her mother suffered a disabling medical crisis and her father was absent. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026 There used to be a single Settings toggle for disabling Apple Intelligence, but that was removed in macOS 27. — Stevie Bonifield, The Verge, 5 Oct. 2026 That makes the technology particularly interesting for counter-drone missions, where disabling an aircraft’s sensors or critical components may be sufficient to bring it down. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disabling
  1. crippling
  2. paralyzing
  3. incapacitating
  4. undermining
  5. wounding
  6. weakening
  7. damaging
Verb
  • The flip side is that the state suffers crippling deficits when the market tanks, as during the Global Financial Crisis.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026
  • In the days after the ceasefire broke down, the Houthis announced a blockade on Saudi shipping, and launched attacks crippling Saudi Arabia’s oil export infrastructure.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of crippling
Verb
  • The attacks and the air raid alerts that accompany them have severely disrupted life in the city, forcing millions to constantly seek shelter and paralyzing the capital’s businesses and transport networks.
    — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Medications used in lethal injections usually act in three steps -- first sedating the individual, then paralyzing them, before ending important bodily functions necessary for life.
    — Allen Chang, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of paralyzing
Verb
  • Fragments of the powerhouse author’s path to her incapacitating accident then unfold through Lowen’s POV, starting with Verity’s steamy first encounter with Jeremy.
    — Fawnia Soo Hoo, Allure, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Smit Machchhar with the cockpit's crash axe, incapacitating him and causing the aircraft to plummet before passengers on board seized control of the plane.
    — Michael Sinkewicz , Elizabeth Pritchett, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of incapacitating
Verb
  • Iran and its Houthi allies are now undermining both of those operations.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Navy desperately needs more subs, and Baltimore stands to gain thousands of jobs, but making the primary customer a 40 percent owner of a new facility risks undermining market discipline.
    — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of undermining
Verb
  • On July 17, an Iranian missile struck Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, killing three American soldiers and wounding four others.
    — Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Deputies returned fire, wounding 30-year-old Linda Mullennix and ending the standoff that began late Thursday.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of wounding
Verb
  • Mortgage demand continues to drop sharply, as buyers face higher prices and weakening affordability.
    — Diana Olick, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The upper-level trough over the western United States will gradually advance eastward, weakening the influence of the ridge that has kept us hot and relatively dry.
    — Michael Autovino, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • The 2025 decision came after the group claimed responsibility for breaking into a major air base, RAF Brize Norton, northwest of London, and damaging aircraft.
    — Inaya Folarin Iman, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • In October 2025, Baja California’s prosecutor said a drone dropped homemade explosive devices at an anti-kidnapping prosecutor’s office in Tijuana, damaging four vehicles but causing no injuries.
    — Armando Regil Velasco, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of damaging

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disables
disabling
disabuse
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Cite this Entry

“Disabling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disabling. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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