Cripple
/ˈkrɪpl/verb
To cause someone or something to become unable to move or walk properly.
John was crippled in the car accident and needed a wheelchair to get around.
Often appears as...
- cripple someone for life
- cripple the economy
noun
A person who is unable to walk or move properly.
He became a cripple after the accident.
Usage tips
Disapproving
verb
To cause damage or have a severe effect on something.
The recent storm crippled the city's transportation system.
Often appears as...
- cripple the economy
- cripple the organization
verb
To cause someone or something to become unable to move or walk properly.
John was crippled in the car accident and needed a wheelchair to get around.
Often appears as...
- cripple someone for life
- cripple the economy
noun
A person who is unable to walk or move properly.
He became a cripple after the accident.
Usage tips
Disapproving
verb
To cause damage or have a severe effect on something.
The recent storm crippled the city's transportation system.
Often appears as...
- cripple the economy
- cripple the organization
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Negative Connotation
Using 'cripple' can imply negativity and is often considered offensive when referring to individuals.
Instead of saying 'He is crippled', consider 'He has a disability'.
Pro Tip 2/3Financial Context
Used metaphorically to describe severe economic damage or restriction.
The trade sanctions crippled the country's economy.
Pro Tip 3/3Physical Impairment
'Cripple' suggests a permanent or long-term inability to move.
The athlete was scared that the injury might cripple him.
Compare with
damagedebilitatedisabledhandicapimpairincapacitateinfirmparalyse
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Video examples
This could be why you're...
And Lisa had been shut away in her home with crippling depression and anxiety for seven years. And when she came to Sam's center, she was told, "Don't worry, we'll carry on giving you these drugs, but we're also going to prescribe something else. We're going to prescribe for you to come here to this center twice a week
Video examples
Will Hercules the...
found at least the islands give them an independence and a quality of life they would never have in a cage one orangutan who probably appreciates this more than most is Hercules before he was rescued Hercules was kept in such a tiny cage it left him permanently crippled he'll
Video examples
The agony of opioid...
to escape the most crippling effects of the withdrawal. So that night she helped me up the stairs and for the first time in weeks I actually went to bed. I took the little orange prescription bottle, I set it on my nightstand and then I didn't touch it. I fell asleep,
Video examples
The secrets in volcanic...
liquid and protects it when we open the cap unfortunately magmas have these little pressure vessels within them they have little crystals that are encapsulated by mistake some of the magma it's just an accident and then when the crippled erupts and cools the
Video examples
How I learned to read --...
and help, and it was crazy because I now cared about my community. Wow, imagine that. I cared about my community. Financial illiteracy is a disease that has crippled minorities and the lower class in our society for generations and generations,
Video examples
The case against "good"...
for eternity. These two words have worked in tandem to produce vague and bland sentences that have crippled the creativity of humanity. These two deceptively tiny words stifle real description and honest communication.
Video examples
Islamophobia killed my...
I sit on my brother's bed and remember his words, the words he gave me so freely and with so much love, "I am who I am because of you." That's what it takes for me to climb through my crippling grief and speak out.
Video examples
Incredible Orangutan...
before he was rescued hercules was kept in such a tiny cage it left him permanently crippled he'll never have full use of his hands and feet which means he can't live on these islands all year round
Video examples
The Sinking of the SS...
Relieved, Lemp surfaces to investigate. With darkness falling, he moves in for a closer look. The first torpedo had struck the ship. But as Lemp surveys the crippled vessel,
Video examples
You aren't at the mercy...
So here's an example. All of us have had a nervous feeling before a test, right? But some people experience crippling anxiety before a test. They have test anxiety.
Video examples
This could be why you're...
And Lisa had been shut away in her home with crippling depression and anxiety for seven years. And when she came to Sam's center, she was told, "Don't worry, we'll carry on giving you these drugs, but we're also going to prescribe something else. We're going to prescribe for you to come here to this center twice a week
Video examples
Will Hercules the...
found at least the islands give them an independence and a quality of life they would never have in a cage one orangutan who probably appreciates this more than most is Hercules before he was rescued Hercules was kept in such a tiny cage it left him permanently crippled he'll
Video examples
The agony of opioid...
to escape the most crippling effects of the withdrawal. So that night she helped me up the stairs and for the first time in weeks I actually went to bed. I took the little orange prescription bottle, I set it on my nightstand and then I didn't touch it. I fell asleep,
Video examples
The secrets in volcanic...
liquid and protects it when we open the cap unfortunately magmas have these little pressure vessels within them they have little crystals that are encapsulated by mistake some of the magma it's just an accident and then when the crippled erupts and cools the
Video examples
How I learned to read --...
and help, and it was crazy because I now cared about my community. Wow, imagine that. I cared about my community. Financial illiteracy is a disease that has crippled minorities and the lower class in our society for generations and generations,
Video examples
The case against "good"...
for eternity. These two words have worked in tandem to produce vague and bland sentences that have crippled the creativity of humanity. These two deceptively tiny words stifle real description and honest communication.
Video examples
Islamophobia killed my...
I sit on my brother's bed and remember his words, the words he gave me so freely and with so much love, "I am who I am because of you." That's what it takes for me to climb through my crippling grief and speak out.
Video examples
Incredible Orangutan...
before he was rescued hercules was kept in such a tiny cage it left him permanently crippled he'll never have full use of his hands and feet which means he can't live on these islands all year round
Video examples
The Sinking of the SS...
Relieved, Lemp surfaces to investigate. With darkness falling, he moves in for a closer look. The first torpedo had struck the ship. But as Lemp surveys the crippled vessel,
Video examples
You aren't at the mercy...
So here's an example. All of us have had a nervous feeling before a test, right? But some people experience crippling anxiety before a test. They have test anxiety.
Example 1 of 10
Quote examples
Abraham Maslow
American Psychologist
If I were a Negro, I'd be fighting, as Martin Luther King fought, for human recognition and justice. I'd rather go down with my flag flying. If you're weak or crippled, or you can't speak out or fight back in some way, then people don't hesitate to treat you badly.
Quote examples
Jim Morrison
American Singer
Sex is full of lies. The body tries to tell the truth. But, it's usually too battered with rules to be heard, and bound with pretenses so it can hardly move. We cripple ourselves with lies.
Quote examples
Wayne LaPierre
American Activist
Obama cannot erase the Second Amendment without crippling or controlling exercise of the First Amendment.
Quote examples
Jerry Lewis
American Comedian
Pity? You don't want to be pitied because you're a cripple in a wheelchair? Stay in your house!
Quote examples
Jerry Costello
American Politician
The attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 completely crippled our Pacific Fleet.
Quote examples
Peter Diamandis
American Businessman
I view risk-aversion as crippling America in many ways.
Quote examples
Louise Brooks
American Actress
In my dreams I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance.
Quote examples
Jennifer Nettles
American Musician
I've learned how my own perfectionism can cripple me.
Quote examples
Stephen Hawking
English Physicist
No one can resist the idea of a crippled genius.
Quote examples
Ardal O'Hanlon
Irish Comedian
I'm as crippled with doubt as the next actor.
Quote examples
Abraham Maslow
American Psychologist
If I were a Negro, I'd be fighting, as Martin Luther King fought, for human recognition and justice. I'd rather go down with my flag flying. If you're weak or crippled, or you can't speak out or fight back in some way, then people don't hesitate to treat you badly.
Quote examples
Jim Morrison
American Singer
Sex is full of lies. The body tries to tell the truth. But, it's usually too battered with rules to be heard, and bound with pretenses so it can hardly move. We cripple ourselves with lies.
Quote examples
Wayne LaPierre
American Activist
Obama cannot erase the Second Amendment without crippling or controlling exercise of the First Amendment.
Quote examples
Jerry Lewis
American Comedian
Pity? You don't want to be pitied because you're a cripple in a wheelchair? Stay in your house!
Quote examples
Jerry Costello
American Politician
The attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 completely crippled our Pacific Fleet.
Quote examples
Peter Diamandis
American Businessman
I view risk-aversion as crippling America in many ways.
Quote examples
Louise Brooks
American Actress
In my dreams I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance.
Quote examples
Jennifer Nettles
American Musician
I've learned how my own perfectionism can cripple me.
Quote examples
Stephen Hawking
English Physicist
No one can resist the idea of a crippled genius.
Quote examples
Ardal O'Hanlon
Irish Comedian
I'm as crippled with doubt as the next actor.
Example 1 of 10
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