cripple
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to damage something so badly that it cannot work or move properly.
v.to cause severe and disabling damage to a system, organisation, or physical object, rendering it unable to function normally.
Simple“The massive snowstorm threatened to cripple the city's transport system for days.”
In context“High interest rates and falling exports combined to cripple the manufacturing sector, leading to widespread factory closures across the region.”
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
v.to cause a serious injury that stops someone from using their body normally.
v.to deprive a person or animal of the use of a limb or to cause permanent physical impairment.
Simple“The accident in the factory threatened to cripple him for life.”
In context“The veteran had been crippled by shrapnel during the final months of the conflict, a detail the novelist uses to highlight the cost of war.”
UsageOften used in the passive voice in older literature.
Teacher's tipIn modern contexts, this is often replaced by 'severely injured' or 'disabled' to avoid the offensive connotations of the related noun.
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to intentionally limit what a computer program or machine can do.
v.to release a product, particularly software, with reduced functionality to encourage upgrades or for security reasons.
Simple“The free version of the software is crippled so you can only save small files.”
In context“Developers often cripple trial versions of their applications, disabling essential export features until a full license is purchased.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
n.a very old-fashioned and extremely offensive word for a person with a physical disability.
n.a person with a physical disability. This term is now considered highly offensive and derogatory in almost all contexts.
Simple“The book used the word cripple, which was common in the 1800s but is offensive today.”
In context“Modern editors often include footnotes in classic literature to explain that terms like 'cripple' are now considered derogatory slurs.”
Teacher's tipThis word is considered a slur in modern English. Learners should never use it to describe a person, though they may encounter it in historical texts.
“Judge Lin said during an earlier round in the lawsuit that the government was trying to "cripple" the company and "chill public debate" over military use of AI.”
“Iran has threatened to treat nearby countries as enemies and target their interests if they join a United States campaign to cripple its economy.”
From Middle English cripel, crepel, crüpel, from Old English crypel (“crippled; a cripple”), from Proto-Germanic krupilaz (“tending to crawl; a cripple”), from Proto-Indo-European grewb- (“to bend, crouch, crawl”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to bend, twist”), equivalent to creep + -le. Cognate with Dutch kreupel, Low German Kröpel, German Krüppel, Old Norse kryppill.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.