cripple
Meaning(s)
1. damage or negatively affect something
Popularity
High
Professional
Medium
Social
How to Memorize
crippling cost/effect, crippled the economy
Analysis
As a verb, 'to cripple' means to deprive of the ability to function normally; and as a noun, 'a cripple' is an outdated and offensive term used to describe someone who is unable to walk normally due to a disability. As a verb, it is used in many professional contexts to describe severe effects: "The rise in inflation crippled the economy." "The damage to the machine had a crippling effect on our production." You could also be 'crippled' emotionally: "She was visibly crippled by the bad news."
Social Examples (Basic)
- The boy was crippled from the accident, and had been in a wheelchair ever since.
- Heavy flooding crippled the electricity supply to the region, and people were left without power for weeks.
Professional Examples (Basic)
- The crippling cost of rent in major cities is driving the population into the suburbs.
- The financial crisis had a crippling effect on housing markets around the world.
- The collapse of Lehman Brothers was the beginning of a process that crippled the world economy.