mobilize

American  

[moh-buh-lahyz] / ˈmoʊ bəˌlaɪz /

especially British, mobilise

verb (used with object)

• mobilizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mobilized,
  past participle,  past
• mobilizing
  present participle

1. to assemble or marshal (armed forces, military reserves, or civilian persons of military age) into readiness for active service.

2. to organize or adapt (industries, transportation facilities, etc.) for service to the government in time of war.

3. to marshal, bring together, prepare (power, force, wealth, etc.) for action, especially of a vigorous nature.

   to mobilize one's energy.

4. to increase or bring to a full stage of development.

   to mobilize one's anger.

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verb (used without object)

• mobilizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mobilized,
  past participle,  past
• mobilizing
  present participle

1. to be or become assembled, organized, etc., as for war.

   to mobilize for action.

mobilize British  

/ ˈməʊbɪˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to prepare for war or other emergency by organizing (national resources, the armed services, etc)

2. (tr) to organize for a purpose; marshal

3. (tr) to put into motion, circulation, or use

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mobilization
  noun
• mobilizer
  noun
• overmobilize
  verb
• remobilize
  verb
• mobilizable
  adjective
• unmobilized
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• mobilizing
  present
• mobilized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• mobilize
  simple
• mobilizes
  simple
• have mobilized
  perfect
• has mobilized
  perfect
• am mobilizing
  progressive
• are mobilizing
  progressive
• is mobilizing
  progressive
• have been mobilizing
  perfect progressive
• has been mobilizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• mobilized
  simple
• had mobilized
  perfect
• was mobilizing
  progressive
• were mobilizing
  progressive
• had been mobilizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will mobilize
  simple
• will have mobilized
  perfect
• will be mobilizing
  progressive
• will have been mobilizing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of mobilize

First recorded in 1830–40; back formation from mobilization; see mobile, -ization

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Explanation

Use the verb mobilize to describe preparing something — or someone — to spring into action, or to be put into use. You might mobilize the troops, or even your classmates, into action. A busy mother might mobilize her kids to grab their lunches and head out to the bus stop on time, and a detective might mobilize her resources before tracking down a wily criminal. Mobilize literally means "make mobile," and the Latin root is mobilis, "movable, pliable, or flexible."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mobilize mobilizes mobilized mobilizing

The findings suggest that sauna bathing may temporarily mobilize immune cells that normally remain in tissues, allowing them to circulate more widely throughout the body.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2026

Any campaign’s quest to mobilize additional voters, therefore, must find them among citizens without a strong sense of civic duty.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

Gov. Gavin Newsom last month declared a state of emergency, saying he wanted to mobilize state resources to “prepare for El Niño’s anticipated impacts, like strong storms and coastal flooding.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

BMO plans to mobilize up to C$70 billion over the next decade for sectors critical to Canadian economic security and resilience.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

The success of a scientific research programme thus depends not on its ability to generate new knowledge but on its ability to mobilize the support of a community.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

At its best, liberalism in America focuses attention on the gap between principles and practices and mobilizes public support to close these gaps.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

Development Finance Corporation, a government agency that typically mobilizes capital for investment in developing countries, will provide discounted political risk insurance and guarantees for maritime transit.

From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026

Dozens of vendors such as Dominguez have been talking up Medi-Cal as part of an unusual program that mobilizes street vendors around public health issues that are important to them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 24, 2023

This mobilizes stored energy to meet increased demands, but it can also curb appetite.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2023

“Look how El Lider mobilizes the people to protect his causes,” Jorge del Pino told his daughter.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

An army of “phone spotters” has mobilized, sharing sightings and coordinates and information on whether any of them actually work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

“We mobilized our team and literally went door to door for weeks,” Lehmkuhl said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

In the fiscal year that ran through June, the World Bank mobilized $112 billion in private capital, alongside the $123 billion of its own financing that it advanced.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Colombians outside the quake zone have mobilized in massive numbers to ease victims' suffering.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

About 65 million men were mobilized to fight.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

After mobilizing in recent weeks, the Houthis seized Mokha on Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

It concludes that the true challenge for Newsom is not just securing the nomination, but mobilizing disaffected and disengaged voters who may otherwise sit out another election.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

The group is expected to focus on door-to-door canvassing, digital advertising and direct mail aimed at mobilizing conservative voters who are less likely to participate in non-presidential elections.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

“There’s obviously a sense of fear in mobilizing from one place to another.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Her quiet defiance inspired the 381-day Montgomery bus boycott, mobilizing Montgomery’s black community and resulting in a Supreme Court decision that Alabama laws requiring segregation on city buses were unconstitutional.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

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Related Words

• assemble
• marshal
• organize
• prepare

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