disable

American  

[dis-ey-buhl] / dɪsˈeɪ bəl /

verb (used with object)

disabled, disabling

1. to make unable or unfit; weaken or destroy the capability of; incapacitate.

   The detective successfully disabled the bomb.

   Synonyms:

   paralyze, enfeeble

2. to impair or injure (a person or animal) physically or mentally.

   The accident disabled him for life.

3. to make legally incapable; disqualify.

   Minors are legally disabled from entering into a contract.

4. 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.

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disable British  

/ dɪsˈeɪbəl /

verb

1. to make ineffective, unfit, or incapable, as by crippling

2. to make or pronounce legally incapable

3. to switch off (an electronic device)

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Other Word Forms

• disablement noun
• disabler noun

Etymology

Origin of disable

First recorded in 1475–85; dis- ¹ + able

Explanation

When an injury disables someone, it leaves the person seriously hurt, probably for the rest of their life. If a car accident disables you, you are permanently limited in some physical way. Illness, as well as injury, can disable people: for example, diabetes disables some sufferers by leaving them blind or weakening their hearts. A completely different way to disable is to make something unusable or unable to work in a certain way. if you disable your smoke detector while you cook nachos in your smoky oven, it won't work until you reconnect the batteries.

Example Sentences

My ski pass stays in my desk drawer, and each weekday as I sign off from work, I tap my phone to the pass to disable all the most tempting stuff from my device.

From Slate • Apr. 26, 2026

You can also create routines to, for example, disable Privacy Display when you get home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

According to prosecutors, on Saturday evening four soldiers housed at Percy Hospital had begun playing a game known within the military that involves attempting to disarm a colleague and disable their weapon.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

Cybersecurity companies like CrowdStrike Holdings are giving customers tools to detect when OpenClaw is running on corporate devices and disable it.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 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

Related Words

• exhaust
• immobilize
• knock out
• ruin
• shatter
• undermine
• wreck