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disabled

adjective
dis·​abled | \ dis-ˈā-bəld How to pronounce disabled (audio) , diz-ˈā-\

Definition of disabled

1a : impaired or limited by a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition : affected by disability Decades of government policy and a Supreme Court decision … have established that public services for all disabled people must be provided in the least restrictive and most integrated environment possible.— Sallie Tisdale For disabled travelers—or anyone nursing an injury—successful trips require planning. … Rugged or remote areas may require some give and take on your part, including physical assistance or workarounds.— Linda Burbank … 4,000 disabled athletes from 125 nations competing in 18 sports.— John Shaw
b : incapacitated by illness or injury … 17.4% of all match-ending injuries, were attributable to OT (orthopedic trauma). Two such stoppages involved multiple roundhouse kicks directed at the lateral aspect of the knee. The disabled competitors were unable to continue because of marked pain with weight bearing.— George J. Buse and Robert M. Wood
2 of a device or mechanism : rendered inoperative (as by being damaged or deliberately altered) a disabled alarm They would have pulled out but they were waiting on the Iraqi police to finish their report and there was the issue of the disabled fuel truck …— David Abrams
Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about disabled

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Examples of disabled in a Sentence

The organization is working to protect the rights of disabled veterans. the disabled man was unable to climb the stairs without help

Recent Examples on the Web

 On July 28, officers responded to a report of a disabled motor vehicle on High Street in Brookline. — Emily Sweeney, BostonGlobe.com, "This was no knight in shining armor," 4 Sep. 2019 Be aware of disabled vehicle blocking the right lane further north, before VA-123. — Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, "Earlier delay on northbound George Washington Parkway," 3 Sep. 2019 His duties involved salvaging disabled vehicles and discarded weapons, ammunition and clothing from battlefields and bringing them back to temporary camps with makeshift morgues. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Local veteran, 93, earns his high school diploma, 75 years later," 25 Aug. 2019 Medi-Cal — the state’s insurance plan for the poor and disabled — pays nursing homes a daily rate to care for patients like Salgado. — Los Angeles Times, "For months, he lingered in a purgatory between wakefulness and nothingness," 22 Aug. 2019 The Land Rover continued onto the I-10 on-ramp, where police later found the disabled vehicle with severe front-end damage and no one inside. — Mike Cruz, azcentral, "Driver arrested in DUI-related crash in Tolleson that killed 7-year-old girl," 14 Aug. 2019 Conservatives have long sought cuts in the federal food assistance program for the poor and disabled. — Time, "The Trump Administration Is Moving to End Food Stamps for 3 Million People," 23 July 2019 The disabled vehicle was off the roadway, police said. — Darran Simon, CNN, "Charles Levin, Hollywood actor, found dead," 14 July 2019 The $5 billion Medicaid program serves about 600,000 poor and disabled people. — USA TODAY, "Flying goats, chile duel, ’99 Women’s World Cup statue: News from around our 50 states," 12 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'disabled.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of disabled

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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More Definitions for disabled

disabled

adjective
dis·​abled | \ dis-ˈā-bəld\

Kids Definition of disabled

: not having the ability to do certain mental or physical tasks (as because of illness, injury, or a condition present at birth) that a person is typically capable of doing

disabled

adjective
dis·​abled

Medical Definition of disabled

1 : impaired or limited by a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition : affected by disability
2 : incapacitated by illness, injury, or wounds

disabled

adjective

Legal Definition of disabled

: having a disability

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More from Merriam-Webster on disabled

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for disabled

Spanish Central: Translation of disabled

Nglish: Translation of disabled for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of disabled for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about disabled

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