mothball
1 of 2noun
moth·ball ˈmȯth-ˌbȯl 
1
: a ball made formerly of camphor but now often of naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene and used to keep moths from clothing
2
mothballs plural : a condition of protective storage
put the ships in mothballs after the war
also : a state of having been rejected for further use or dismissed from further consideration
mothball
2 of 2verb
mothballed; mothballing; mothballs
transitive verb
1
: to deactivate (something, such as a ship) and prevent deterioration chiefly by dehumidification
2
: to withdraw from use or service and keep in reserve : put aside
Example Sentences
Verb Many navy ships were mothballed after the war.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 30 Apr. 2020 Today, the mothball fleet is maintained at Bremerton, Washington; Philadelphia, and Pearl Harbor. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 21 Feb. 2019 What about preventing the disease by hanging mothballs around your neck? Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 5 May 2020 Mercifully, their 0-7 shootout record remains in mothballs. Matt Porter, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Feb. 2020 Later, the family saw mothballs had been put in place. Sig Christenson, ExpressNews.com, 24 Nov. 2019 In 2017, Charlie Morton finished Game 7 of the World Series with Ken Giles all but put on mothballs in October. Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2019 While standing outside, an officer noticed the smell of decay and saw packets of mothballs at the doors. BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2019 George retains only one memory of his childhood religion: the smell of mothballs emanating from the congregation’s Sunday best. The Economist, 15 Nov. 2019 Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Jan. 2022 All this in a country that plans to mothball its nuclear power stations by next year. Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Nov. 2021 Rail freight operators are having to mothball their electric locomotives and switch back to diesel trains, which are slower and cause more pollution, because of the unfolding energy crisis. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 17 Oct. 2021 The Air Force has for years sought to mothball the jet, which is the centerpiece of Tucson's Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 23 July 2021 The creepy clown trend may have been a convenient excuse for Mickey D’s to mothball the mascot, but the chain had plenty of other reasons, too: complaints that Ronald’s appeal to kids only contributed to childhood obesity. Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2020 This week, 7-Eleven opened a pop-up store in Children’s Medical Center Dallas’ Moore Auditorium, a large space for meetings indefinitely mothballed in this time of social distancing. Maria Halkias, Dallas News, 23 Apr. 2020 Some believe the ruling party doesn’t really want the laws approved, and might mothball them by referring them to committee for further work. Vanessa Gera, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Apr. 2020 Among the other ships being mothballed in Southland waters are three high-end cruise liners that are docked or anchored off San Diego: Regent Seven Seas Splendor, and Celebrity Cruises’ Eclipse and Millenium. Rosemary Mcclure, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2020 See More
Noun
Transaero went bankrupt in 2015, stranding the planes without a buyer, and the two aircraft ended up in mothballs in the Mojave Desert. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 30 Apr. 2020 Today, the mothball fleet is maintained at Bremerton, Washington; Philadelphia, and Pearl Harbor. Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 21 Feb. 2019 What about preventing the disease by hanging mothballs around your neck? Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 5 May 2020 Mercifully, their 0-7 shootout record remains in mothballs. Matt Porter, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Feb. 2020 Later, the family saw mothballs had been put in place. Sig Christenson, ExpressNews.com, 24 Nov. 2019 In 2017, Charlie Morton finished Game 7 of the World Series with Ken Giles all but put on mothballs in October. Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2019 While standing outside, an officer noticed the smell of decay and saw packets of mothballs at the doors. BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2019 George retains only one memory of his childhood religion: the smell of mothballs emanating from the congregation’s Sunday best. The Economist, 15 Nov. 2019 Verb
Would Germany, for instance, be ready to mothball the new pipeline designed to carry more Russian natural gas to Europe, bypassing an existing route through Ukraine? Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 Jan. 2022 All this in a country that plans to mothball its nuclear power stations by next year. Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Nov. 2021 Rail freight operators are having to mothball their electric locomotives and switch back to diesel trains, which are slower and cause more pollution, because of the unfolding energy crisis. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 17 Oct. 2021 The Air Force has for years sought to mothball the jet, which is the centerpiece of Tucson's Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 23 July 2021 The creepy clown trend may have been a convenient excuse for Mickey D’s to mothball the mascot, but the chain had plenty of other reasons, too: complaints that Ronald’s appeal to kids only contributed to childhood obesity. Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2020 This week, 7-Eleven opened a pop-up store in Children’s Medical Center Dallas’ Moore Auditorium, a large space for meetings indefinitely mothballed in this time of social distancing. Maria Halkias, Dallas News, 23 Apr. 2020 Some believe the ruling party doesn’t really want the laws approved, and might mothball them by referring them to committee for further work. Vanessa Gera, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Apr. 2020 Among the other ships being mothballed in Southland waters are three high-end cruise liners that are docked or anchored off San Diego: Regent Seven Seas Splendor, and Celebrity Cruises’ Eclipse and Millenium. Rosemary Mcclure, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1926, in the meaning defined at sense 1
mothball
verb
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. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dismantle
- phase out
- deactivate
- put aside
- kill
- shut off
- halt
- turn off
- stall
- brake
- stick
- cut off
- chock
- flick (off)
- draw up
- jam
- arrest
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- power
- generate
- fire
- push
- fuel
- charge
- switch
- launch
- discharge
- release
- trip
- electrify
- move
- energize
- start
- reactivate
- run
- activate
- drive
- propel
- turn on
- actuate
- spark
- recharge
- set off
- trigger
- touch off
- crank (up)
- definite
- definite article
- definite host
- definite integral
- definite integration
- definite quadratic form
- definite-time
- definitely
- definitely not
- definiteness
- definitenesses
- definition
- definitional
- definitions
- definitise
- definitised
- definitises
- definitising
- definitive
- definitive callus
- definitive host
- definitively
- definitiveness
- definitivenesses
- definitives