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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Examples of mothball in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And there are thousands of yellows that have been mothballed since the onset of COVID.
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New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 10 May 2024
That being said, the way in which it had been used for many, many years was two times a year, and pretty much mothballed in between.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2024
June’s flight will be the last for VSS Unity, effectively mothballing Virgin Galactic’s commercial program until 2026.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 15 May 2024
Under the pact, most of Fordow’s centrifuges were mothballed, and the rest were allowed to make isotopes only for medical applications and civilian research.
—Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mothball 
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 10 May 2024
That being said, the way in which it had been used for many, many years was two times a year, and pretty much mothballed in between.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 20 May 2024
June’s flight will be the last for VSS Unity, effectively mothballing Virgin Galactic’s commercial program until 2026.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 15 May 2024
Under the pact, most of Fordow’s centrifuges were mothballed, and the rest were allowed to make isotopes only for medical applications and civilian research.
—Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mothball
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mothball.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Mothball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mothball. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
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