- (of a person) having a physical or mental condition that restricts them in their ability to move or use their senses
- often offensive (as collective noun; preceded by the): the disabled
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•bled
(dis ā′bəld),USA pronunciation adj.
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- crippled;
injured;
incapacitated.
n.
- (used with a pl. v.) persons who are crippled, injured, or incapacitated (usually prec. by the):Ramps have been installed at the entrances to accommodate the disabled.
- disable + -ed2 1625–35
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::
disabled /dɪˈseɪbəld/ adj
It is better to refer to people with physical disabilities of various kinds by describing the specific difficulty rather than talking about the disabled as a group, which is considered somewhat offensive. Some people also object to the word disabled to refer to facilities for people with disabilities, and prefer the word accessible
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
disable /dɪsˈeɪbəl/ vb (transitive)
- 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)
'the disabled' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):