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immobilize

[ ih-moh-buh-lahyz ]
/ ɪˈmoʊ bəˌlaɪz /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR immobilize ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), im·mo·bi·lized, im·mo·bi·liz·ing.

to make immobile or immovable; fix in place.
to prevent the use, activity, or movement of: The hurricane immobilized the airlines.
to deprive of the capacity for mobilization: The troops were immobilized by the enemy.
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.
to render (an opponent's strategy) ineffective; stymie.
Finance.
  1. to establish a monetary reserve by withdrawing (specie) from circulation.
  2. to create fixed capital in place of (circulating capital).

RELATED WORDS

paralyze, debilitate, shatter, incapacitate, impair, cripple, mutilate, mangle, disarm, clog, shackle, restrain, invalidate, harm, hamstring, enfeeble, unfit, enervate, sap, hock

Nearby words

  1. immixture,
  2. immobile,
  3. immobilism,
  4. immobility,
  5. immobilization,
  6. immobilizer,
  7. immoderacy,
  8. immoderate,
  9. immoderation,
  10. immodest
Also especially British, im·mo·bi·lise.

Origin of immobilize

1870–75; immobile + -ize; see mobilize and compare French immobiliser
Related formsim·mo·bi·li·za·tion, nounim·mo·bi·liz·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for immobilize

British Dictionary definitions for immobilize

immobilize

immobilise

/ (ɪˈməʊbɪˌlaɪz) /

verb (tr)

to make or become immobileto immobilize a car
finance
  1. to remove (specie) from circulation and hold it as a reserve
  2. to convert (circulating capital) into fixed capital
Derived Formsimmobilization or immobilisation, nounimmobilizer or immobiliser, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for immobilize

immobilize

v.

1843, from immobile + -ize. Cf. French immobiliser (1835). Related: Immobilized; immobilizing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for immobilize

immobilize

[ ĭ-mō′bə-līz′ ]

v.

To render immobile.
To fix the position of a joint or fractured limb, as with a splint or cast.
Related formsim•mo′bi•li•za′tion (-lĭ-zā′shən) n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.