immobilize
Americanverb (used with object)
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immobilizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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immobilized,
past participle, past
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immobilizing
present participle
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to make immobile or immovable; fix in place.
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to prevent the use, activity, or movement of.
The hurricane immobilized the airlines.
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to deprive of the capacity for mobilization.
The troops were immobilized by the enemy.
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Medicine/Medical. to prevent, restrict, or reduce normal movement in (the body, a limb, or a joint), as by a splint, cast, or prescribed bed rest.
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to render (an opponent's strategy) ineffective; stymie.
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Finance.
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to establish a monetary reserve by withdrawing (specie) from circulation.
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to create fixed capital in place of (circulating capital).
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verb
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to make or become immobile
to immobilize a car
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finance
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to remove (specie) from circulation and hold it as a reserve
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to convert (circulating capital) into fixed capital
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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immobilizesimple
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immobilizessimple
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have immobilizedperfect
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has immobilizedperfect
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am immobilizingprogressive
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are immobilizingprogressive
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is immobilizingprogressive
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have been immobilizingperfect progressive
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has been immobilizingperfect progressive
Past
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immobilizedsimple
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had immobilizedperfect
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was immobilizingprogressive
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were immobilizingprogressive
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had been immobilizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of immobilize
1870–75; immobile + -ize; see mobilize and compare French immobiliser
Explanation
To immobilize something is to make it impossible for it to move. You can immobilize a battery-operated toy by taking the battery out. You could immobilize your brother's car by letting the air out of his tires, or immobilize your little sister by making her so scared of an imaginary monster in the bathroom that she can't move a muscle. In both examples, someone or something is prevented from moving. To immobilize is to make immobile, or motionless, from the Latin root immobilis, which means both "immovable," and also "hard-hearted."
Vocabulary lists containing immobilize
Stargirl
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List 4
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The Secret Life of Bees
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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.
See Examples For:
And then, of course, spiders are venomous, toting enough toxin to immobilize and liquify prey and, in a few cases, cause lesions, necrosis or death in humans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
“Once they’ve captured their prey, they immobilize it with a very sticky mucus or slime.”
From National Geographic ● Aug. 4, 2023
Wildlife conflict specialists responded to the scene and contacted a local veterinarian about possible treatment, but the lion died before the team could immobilize it for capture, Daly said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2023
The pangrams from yesterday’s Spelling Bee were immobilize and mobilize.
From New York Times ● Jun. 23, 2022
To be certain the sounds came from the knees, the doctors wanted to immobilize the sisters’ knee joints.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
"Whether it immobilizes us, or instead we denounce and shout to the world what is happening."
From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026
“It immobilizes people; they’re stuck, because they just don’t know.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 17, 2023
Fukuyama and a virus that immobilizes people into teeth-chattering zombies — are as haunting as the villainous Shadow King, played by Audrey Plaza, who at times also appears as a nightmarishly pale, obese figure.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2018
“Fish that encounter electricity go through a process called galvanotaxis that immobilizes the muscles, physically stopping the fish from moving through the barrier. The process can be lethal,” says Mark Cornish, a supervisory Corps biologist.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 20, 2017
He thrusts his hand out and immobilizes the trolls.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Though Liniger continued to live with significant paralysis on her left side after the plane wreck, she learned to play golf with one arm immobilized in a sling and became an accomplished one-armed golfer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The injuries observed suggest that orcas may have developed a refined technique to trigger this immobilized state while reducing the risk of being bitten.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2025
He’s been immobilized by a hip injury, and looked up quizzically from his bed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 28, 2025
I don't have the privilege of being immobilized, so since Wednesday morning I've been working on what I can do to help the situation in any way that I possibly can.
From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2024
Malfoy dragged the Cloak out from under Harry’s immobilized body and threw it over him.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Zelda Williams took to Twitter to share that the Oscar winner, who died at 63 in 2014, likely would have supported the SAG-AFTRA strike that’s currently immobilizing Hollywood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2023
The cars are not equipped with push-button ignitions and immobilizing anti-theft devices.
From Washington Times ● May 19, 2023
Ms. Yellen, a former central banker who initially had reservations about immobilizing the assets, said that while the concept was being studied, she believed that seizing the funds would violate U.S. law.
From New York Times ● May 31, 2022
Giles was seen wearing a brace on his throwing hand, immobilizing the finger, and manager Scott Servais later confirmed the injury in his pregame media session Friday afternoon.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 1, 2022
The hunter had two rifles with him: one with real bullets, the other with immobilizing darts.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
