inoperable

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At night, after the bookstore closed, he, sometimes with the help of friends, pushed the inoperable vehicle into the lot at Quirky and slept in it.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

“Residents are rightfully fed up. We cannot allow inoperable, abandoned vehicles to become a permanent fixture of our streetscape. Nor can we enable ‘vanlords’ to exploit the homeless,” she said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026

New Start required the Navy to convert submarine missile tubes, making them inoperable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 15, 2026

But when she was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, she started losing weight and getting weaker.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

Soon, with Gey anesthetized on the operating table, surgeons opened him up and found that the cancer was inoperable —growths covered his stomach, spleen, liver, and intestines.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot