disable
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make unable or unfit; weaken or destroy the capability of; incapacitate.
The detective successfully disabled the bomb.
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to impair or injure (a person or animal) physically or mentally.
The accident disabled him for life.
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to make legally incapable; disqualify.
Minors are legally disabled from entering into a contract.
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Digital Technology. to make (a device, system, or feature) unable to function; turn off.
Some of the car’s advanced safety features can be disabled.
verb
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to make ineffective, unfit, or incapable, as by crippling
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to make or pronounce legally incapable
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to switch off (an electronic device)
Other Word Forms
- disablement noun
- disabler noun
Etymology
Origin of disable
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Samsung devices, you can tap to disable motion photos from the top of the camera app.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026
By targeting sperm metabolism with an inhibitor based, nonhormonal approach, it may be possible to temporarily disable sperm function when desired while minimizing unwanted effects.
From Science Daily • Feb. 14, 2026
Parents who attended this week’s protest urged the company to do more to safeguard young people from predators and called for Snap to disable its AI chatbot.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
The Defense Department said it “took action to disable the drones.”
From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026
Jen had explained it to him once, told him the exact sequence of buttons to hit to disable it.
From "Among the Hidden" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
