cripple
Offensive. a term used to refer to a person who is partially or totally unable to use one or more limbs.
an animal that is similarly disabled; a lame animal.
Offensive. a person who is disabled or impaired in any way.
anything that is impaired or flawed.
a wounded animal, especially one shot by a hunter.
Carpentry. any structural member shorter than usual, as a stud beneath a windowsill.
Delaware Valley. a swampy, densely overgrown tract of land.
Carpentry. jack1 (def. 29).
Origin of cripple
1usage note For cripple
cripple and crippled are not usually problematic when referring to an inanimate object or an animal. And cripple is unlikely to be deemed offensive as a verb, especially metaphorically, as in Failing to upgrade the computer system will cripple our business. Like many other usually offensive terms, the word cripple can also be acceptable when used by people with disabilities in self-reference, as an act of reclamation, or for political purposes. See also retarded.
Other words from cripple
- crip·pler, noun
- crip·pling·ly, adverb
Words Nearby cripple
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cripple in a sentence
At one time Myanmar was subjected to harsh sanctions that crippled its economy.
In Myanmar coup, Suu Kyi’s ouster heralds return to military rule | Shibani Mahtani, Timothy McLaughlin | February 1, 2021 | Washington PostSecond, our sense of the possible has been crippled by two decades of helplessness and resignation under the thumb of the tech giants.
'We Need a Fundamental Reset.' Shoshana Zuboff on Building an Internet That Lets Democracy Flourish | Billy Perrigo | January 22, 2021 | TimeOur sense of the possible has been crippled by two decades of helplessness and resignation under the thumb of the tech giants.
Big Tech's Business Model Is a Threat to Democracy. Here's How to Build a Fairer Digital Future | Billy Perrigo | January 22, 2021 | TimeDuring the Nigerian Civil War of the late 1960s, the Nigerian government famously cut off food supplies from the citizens of Biafra, leaving many Biafrans hungry while significantly crippling its military base.
As the immune system tries to fight off the virus, the lungs and those air sacs become inflamed and fill with fluid, crippling their ability to transport oxygen into the blood.
After she battled polio and learned to walk again, the doctors told her she would be a cripple her entire life.
Sectoral sanctions that could cripple the Russian economy are also long overdue.
It’s Finally Time for the West to Stand Up to Putin | James Kirchick | July 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTOn September 16 he was called into court in Manhattan, charged with the alarming crime of punching a cripple.
Bring down the Assads, and you cripple the mullahs in both Iran and Lebanon.
Up to Speed: Five Things You Need to Know on Syria | Christopher Dickey | September 3, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTIn some cases, the aftermath of disasters can cripple the very infrastructure that would enable recovery.
Three Years After Gulf Oil Spill, Money Continues to Flow to Region | Filipa Ioannou | July 29, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThat would have ended our little Alila's life in a moment, or at least made him a cripple for the rest of his days.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin | Mary Hazelton WadeThere was, however, only one waggon and that a cripple, and neither carpenters nor smiths were at the station to repair it.
Robert Moffat | David J. DeaneThe first of these unfortunates was of the parish of Barking, aged sixty-eight, a painter and a cripple.
Fox's Book of Martyrs | John FoxeFor a man only to give a half confidence, is to cripple to that extent the capacity of the one who is responsible.
Ancient Faiths And Modern | Thomas InmanAnd I'm a cripple, and she's beautiful—— Oh, my mind's in a muddle!
Patchwork | Anna Balmer Myers
British Dictionary definitions for cripple
/ (ˈkrɪpəl) /
offensive a person who is lame
offensive a person who is or seems disabled or deficient in some way: a mental cripple
US dialect a dense thicket, usually in marshy land
(tr) to make a cripple of; disable
Origin of cripple
1Derived forms of cripple
- crippler, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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