1
as in to incapacitate
to cause severe or permanent injury to
the car crash may have crippled two people for life
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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
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3
as in to paralyze
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 cripple
That crippled Huawei’s smartphone brand, once one of the world’s biggest.
—
Joe McDonald, ajc, 9 Mar. 2023
Soon after, sanctions crippled the banking sector, food prices soared, and hospitals filled with malnourished children.
—Christina Goldbaum, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Feb. 2023
Soon after, sanctions crippled the banking sector, food prices soared and hospitals filled with malnourished children.
—Yaqoob Akbary Kiana Hayeri, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2023
If nothing is done, this could cripple the ISS.
—Kay Bailey Hutchison and Jane Harman, WSJ, 16 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for cripple
Joe McDonald, ajc, 9 Mar. 2023
Soon after, sanctions crippled the banking sector, food prices soared, and hospitals filled with malnourished children.
—Christina Goldbaum, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Feb. 2023
Soon after, sanctions crippled the banking sector, food prices soared and hospitals filled with malnourished children.
—Yaqoob Akbary Kiana Hayeri, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2023
If nothing is done, this could cripple the ISS.
—Kay Bailey Hutchison and Jane Harman, WSJ, 16 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for cripple
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cripple
Verb
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To pry the babies away from their mothers, poachers often kill or incapacitate the mothers and their troops, prosecutors said in the release.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
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Thousands more were injured or incapacitated by the cold weather.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Federal officials said one immigration agent was injured when a rock shattered his vehicle’s windshield, and the U.S. Marshals Service reported arrests for obstructing operations, according to the Times.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
8 June 2025
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Among those injured was an infant and a 14-year-old girl, according to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov.—
Natalya Kushnir,
ABC News,
7 June 2025
Verb
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Inflammation from these conditions can paralyze the colon, causing symptoms like bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and fever.—
Janelle McSwiggin,
Health,
6 June 2025
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Fear of the unknown, driven by economic instability and geopolitical shifts, can paralyze teams.—
David Meade,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
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Her short centered on two estranged sisters, one of whom is cognitively disabled, who must learn to communicate after their mother’s death.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
5 June 2025
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Officers disabled the vehicle after a high-speed chase through Mountain Home and on I-84, the release said.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
4 June 2025
Verb
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The fire began on the third floor, severely damaging the entire level, while water damage affected the floors below.—
Samantha Moilanen,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
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In addition to direct contact, Toxoplasma may also damage sperm because the infection promotes chronic inflammation.—
Bill Sullivan,
The Conversation,
28 May 2025
Verb
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The voucher program, which provides tax money to help pay for private and parochial school tuition, has undermined public education.—
Anthony Man,
Sun Sentinel,
5 June 2025
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But their deadly design may undermine human health, too.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
5 June 2025
Verb
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How many people died on D-Day? On D-Day alone, around 4,440 Allied troops were confirmed dead, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), with more than 5,800 troops wounded or missing.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
5 June 2025
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Another influx of 184 wounded arrived at the Red Cross field hospital June 3, the ICRC said in a statement; 19 were declared dead on arrival, and eight more died of their wounds not long afterwards.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
5 June 2025
Verb
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However, relatively decent growth fueled by Putin's record military spending has been marred by inflation and a worker shortage impacted by those fleeing the draft and troop losses in Ukraine as experts warn of longer terms problems for the economy.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 2025
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Albania, which has started full membership negotiations with the European Union, has been plagued in its post-communist era with corruption that has marred its democratic, economic and social development.—
Llazar Semini,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cripple.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cripple. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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