as in to dismantle
to stop using (something) while keeping it to be possibly used in the future
Many navy ships were mothballed after the war.
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Recent Examples of mothball
The two Karuizawa casks (#6195 and #888) in question were distilled in 1999, a year before the distillery was mothballed, and each is expected to yield about 420 bottles.
—
Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2026
Some 1,000 construction workers were laid off as the Gateway Development Commission mothballed the project.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
The Devil’s Place whiskey list also includes complete collections of special expressions and bottles from distilleries long mothballed.
—Don Tse, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The company began construction twice on the development, but now has mothballed that project.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mothball
Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2026
Some 1,000 construction workers were laid off as the Gateway Development Commission mothballed the project.
—Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026
The Devil’s Place whiskey list also includes complete collections of special expressions and bottles from distilleries long mothballed.
—Don Tse, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
The company began construction twice on the development, but now has mothballed that project.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mothball
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mothball
dismantle
Verb
-
In front of a sellout crowd, the Spirit dismantled the Kansas City Current 4-0, delivering one of their most complete performances of the season.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
By dismantling that deal without a viable replacement, the administration effectively cleared the path for Iran to resume and accelerate its nuclear program.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mothball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mothball. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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