cripple

1 of 3

noun

crip·​ple ˈkri-pəl 

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

cripple

2 of 3

adjective

offensive

: being disabled, flawed, or imperfect

cripple

3 of 3

verb

crippled; crippling ˈkri-p(ə-)liŋ  ; cripples

transitive verb

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

cripplingly

ˈkri-p(ə-)liŋ-lē 

adverb

cripplingly high unemployment rates

Synonyms

Verb

• disable
• incapacitate
• lame
• maim
• mutilate

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

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cripel, from Old English crypel; akin to Old English crēopan to creep — more at creep

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids 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

-(ə-)lər

noun

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

offensive

: to deprive of the use of a limb and especially a leg