as in to dismantle
to stop using (something) while keeping it to be possibly used in the future
Many navy ships were mothballed after the war.
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Recent Examples of mothball
The distillery operated sporadically before being mothballed in 1998 and demolished in 2013.
—
Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
Wells Fargo has applied for national historic designation for its South Minneapolis Home Mortgage campus, which is being mothballed as the bank consolidates its Twin Cities corporate office footprint.
—Nick Halter, Axios, 26 Sep. 2024
Three Mile Island has been mothballed for several years longer, Ahn added.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 20 Sep. 2024
Today, 10 of its 45 floors have already been mothballed, and HSBC will move to the City of London when its lease expires in 2027.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mothball 
Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
Wells Fargo has applied for national historic designation for its South Minneapolis Home Mortgage campus, which is being mothballed as the bank consolidates its Twin Cities corporate office footprint.
—Nick Halter, Axios, 26 Sep. 2024
Three Mile Island has been mothballed for several years longer, Ahn added.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 20 Sep. 2024
Today, 10 of its 45 floors have already been mothballed, and HSBC will move to the City of London when its lease expires in 2027.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 9 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mothball
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Cite this Entry
“Mothball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mothball. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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