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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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:
What the reforms would discourage is the strategic use of firings to immobilize the commissions themselves.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
A single freeze-up can knock out an entire weapons platform or immobilize a convoy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025
Snake venom is a complex cocktail of toxins, amino acids and proteins that evolved primarily to immobilize and kill prey, but it also prepares tissues for digestion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2023
“Once they’ve captured their prey, they immobilize it with a very sticky mucus or slime.”
From National Geographic ● Aug. 4, 2023
This will, according to the accompanying description above it, immobilize the entire enemy team for five full seconds.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
A stock market that supposedly facilitates capital flows thus immobilizes capital within companies.
From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 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
It’s also known that Waymo pays humans to physically deal with vehicles immobilized by — for example — a passenger’s failure to fully close a car door when exiting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 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
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
The fury and hatred bubbling inside Harry seemed to blaze white-hot, but he would rather have been immobilized all the way back to London than tell Snape why he was late.
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
Trainers were immobilizing the leg before the cart even reached Lathan.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 1, 2023
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
Where roads are unpaved, it can be immobilizing.
From New York Times ● Oct. 28, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
