plural cripples
1
dated + offensive
: a lame or partly disabled person or animal
2
offensive
: someone who is disabled or deficient in a specified manner
a social/emotional cripple
offensive
: being disabled, flawed, or imperfect
crippled; crippling
ˈkri-p(ə-)liŋ 
; cripples
; cripples
1
: to severely damage (something) : to destroy the strength, efficiency, or wholeness of (something)
an economy crippled by inflation
2
offensive, of an injury or disease
: to deprive (someone) of the use of a limb and especially a leg
Synonyms
Examples of cripple in a Sentence
Noun
He returned from war a cripple.
Verb
Higher taxes could cripple small businesses.
an economy crippled by inflation
Recent Examples on the Web
Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2023
Oakland Mills Coach: Chris Brewington Last season: Class 2A state champion Outlook: Losing the talent Oakland Mills did from last year’s outdoor season would cripple most programs, but the Scorpions have reloaded.
—Anthony Maluso, Baltimore Sun, 22 Mar. 2023
Large-scale withdrawals could cripple banks that are not well-capitalized.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2023
That crippled Huawei’s smartphone brand, once one of the world’s biggest.
—Joe McDonald, ajc, 9 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for cripple 
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show current usage.
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Verb
About six weeks ago, hackers crippled the computer systems of the TV and mobile phone provider Dish Network.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2023
Oakland Mills Coach: Chris Brewington Last season: Class 2A state champion Outlook: Losing the talent Oakland Mills did from last year’s outdoor season would cripple most programs, but the Scorpions have reloaded.
—Anthony Maluso, Baltimore Sun, 22 Mar. 2023
Large-scale withdrawals could cripple banks that are not well-capitalized.
—Jack Kelly, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2023
That crippled Huawei’s smartphone brand, once one of the world’s biggest.
—Joe McDonald, ajc, 9 Mar. 2023
See all Example Sentences for cripple
Dictionary Entries Near cripple
Cite this Entry
“Cripple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cripple. Accessed 29 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cripple
1 of 2 noun
crip·ple
ˈkrip-əl
offensive
: a partly disabled person
cripple
2 of 2 verb
crippled; crippling
ˈkrip-(ə-)liŋ
1
sometimes offensive
: to take away the use of a limb and especially a leg
was crippled by the accident
2
: to make useless or imperfect
loss of power crippled the city
crippler
noun
-(ə-)lər
Medical Definition
cripple
1 of 3 noun
crip·ple
ˈkrip-əl
offensive
: an individual having a physical disability and especially a physically impaired leg or foot
cripple
2 of 3 adjective
offensive
: being disabled
cripple
3 of 3 transitive verb
crippled; crippling
-(ə)-liŋ
; cripples
; cripples
offensive
: to deprive of the use of a limb and especially a leg
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