disable
verb
dis·able
| \ dis-ˈā-bəl
, diz-ˈā-\
, diz-ˈā-\
disabled;
disabling\ dis-ˈā-b(ə-)liŋ
, diz-ˈā- \
, diz-ˈā- \
Definition of disable
1a
: to make ineffective or inoperative
disable a bomb For victims of smartphone theft, the ultimate justice is hitting a button that disables the device, turning it into a worthless rectangular paperweight.— Heather Kelley … gene editing makes it possible to change or disable a single gene without changing the "meaning" of the rest of the genome.— Kat McGowan
b
: to impair physically or mentally : to cause disability in
Automobile accidents kill nearly 50,000 people each year. … Accidents maim or disable another 80,000.— Matt Clark and Mary Hager Diet-related Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease disable and kill people …— Mark Bittman
2
: to deprive of legal right, qualification, or capacity
… the injured party was released from the bonds of marriage; but the offender, during life, or a term of years, was disabled from the repetition of nuptials.— Edward Gibbon
Keep scrolling for more
Other Words from disable
disablement
\ dis-ˈā-bəl-mənt
, diz-ˈā- \
noun
, diz-ˈā- \
noun
physical disablement
Nor does it tackle the disablement of any North Korean program to enrich uranium.
— Thomas Omestad
disabling
adjective
Bipolar disorder is one of the world's 10 most disabling conditions, taking away years of healthy functioning from individuals who have the illness.
— David J. Kupfer
This is a rare, disabling pain disorder in which ordinary sensation such as touch, warmth and coolness are perceived as painful and minor knocks are agonizing.
— Maia Szalavitz
Synonyms for disable
Synonyms
cripple, incapacitate, lame, maim, mutilate
Visit the Thesaurus for More
Examples of disable in a Sentence
a promising athlete who was severely disabled in a plane crash
disabled the controls for unauthorized users
Recent Examples on the Web
Police used a marked SUV to ram the mail truck outside the Cinergy Movie Theater in Odessa, disabling the vehicle. — Anchorage Daily News, "Texas shooter got gun at private sale after being denied in 2014 background check," 4 Sep. 2019 Police used a marked SUV to ram the mail truck outside the Cinergy Movie Theater in Odessa, disabling the vehicle. — Paul J. Weber, chicagotribune.com, "Gunman in Texas shooting rampage that killed 7 obtained AR-style rifle in private sale, evading background check that blocked him in 2014," 3 Sep. 2019 Police used a marked SUV to ram the mail truck outside the Cinergy Movie Theater in Odessa, disabling the vehicle. — Fox News, "Before mass shooting, Texas gunman 'was on a long spiral down,' investigator says," 3 Sep. 2019 Police used a marked SUV to ram the mail truck outside the Cinergy Movie Theater in Odessa, disabling the vehicle. — CBS News, "Texas gunman called both police and FBI before deadly shooting rampage," 2 Sep. 2019 Police used a marked SUV to ram the mail truck outside the Cinergy Movie Theater in Odessa, disabling the vehicle. — Jake Bleiberg, BostonGlobe.com, "Texas gunman was fired from job, called FBI before shooting," 2 Sep. 2019 Police used a marked SUV to ram the mail truck outside the Cinergy Movie Theater in Odessa, disabling the vehicle. — Washington Post, "Police unsure why man went on West Texas shooting rampage," 2 Sep. 2019 Police used a marked SUV to ram the mail truck outside the Cinergy Movie Theater in Odessa, disabling the vehicle. — George Schroeder, USA TODAY, "‘We are one’: Community vows to heal as police investigate motive for West Texas shootings," 2 Sep. 2019 Police used a marked SUV to ram the mail truck outside the Cinergy Movie Theater in Odessa, disabling the vehicle. — Jake Bleiberg, The Denver Post, "Texas gunman was fired from job, called FBI before shooting," 2 Sep. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disable.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for disable
disable
verb
dis·able
| \ dis-ˈā-bəl
\
\
disabled;
disabling
Kids Definition of disable
: to make unable or incapable
He disabled the computer system.
disable
transitive verb
dis·able
| \ dis-ˈā-bəl, diz-
\
\
disabled;
disabling\ -b(ə-)liŋ
\
\
Medical Definition of disable
: to impair physically or mentally : to cause disability in
Automobile accidents kill nearly 50,000 people each year. … Accidents maim or disable another 80,000.— Matt Clark and Mary Hager Diet-related Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease disable and kill people …— Mark Bittman
disable
transitive verb
dis·able
disabled;
disabling