disable

Disable a shell builtin

$ disable [builtin_name]

$ disable -f [function_name]

$ disable -r [reserved_word]

$ disable

$ enable [builtin_name]

disable [-afmprs] [name ...]

disable is a zsh builtin that prevents named elements from being used. When a builtin is disabled, the shell will search $PATH for an external command of the same name instead. This is useful for forcing the use of an external version of a command over the shell builtin, such as using an external echo or test instead of the builtin version.
Disabled elements can be re-enabled with the enable builtin.

-a

Disable aliases

Disable shell functions

Treat arguments as patterns for matching

Disable shell parameters (variables)

Disable reserved words

Disable suffix aliases (zsh)

Only available in zsh. In bash, the equivalent functionality is provided by enable -n. Disabling critical builtins like cd or exit can make the shell difficult to use. The effect does not persist across shell sessions unless added to shell configuration files.

The concept of disabling builtins was introduced in bash with the enable -n syntax. Zsh provides the dedicated disable command as part of its more modular approach to shell configuration, extending the concept to functions, aliases, and reserved words.

enable(1), builtin(1), zsh(1)