- to cause (a person) to be restricted in their ability to move or use their senses
- to make or pronounce legally incapable
- to switch off (an electronic device)
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
dis•a•ble /dɪsˈeɪbəl/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -bled, -bling.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to make unable or unfit;
weaken or destroy the capability of;
cripple:That illness disabled him and left him unable to work.
dis•a•ble
(dis ā′bəl),USA pronunciation v.t., -bled, -bling.
dis•a′ble•ment, n.
dis•a′bler, n.
- to make unable or unfit;
weaken or destroy the capability of;
cripple;
incapacitate:He was disabled by blindness. - to make legally incapable;
disqualify.
- dis-1 + able 1475–85
dis•a′bler, n.
- 1. . enfeeble, paralyze. See cripple.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
disable /dɪsˈeɪbəl/ vb (transitive)
'disable' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):