cripple
CEFR: C1
To cause severe physical disability or structural damage that completely paralyzes the functioning of a system or economy.
Synonyms
- debilitate
- incapacitate
- hamstring
Common Collocations
- cripple the economy
- crippling debt
- cripple infrastructure
Example Sentence
The mass emigration of experienced medical specialists threatens to cripple rural healthcare delivery networks.