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

Machado, who slipped out of hiding in Venezuela last December to receive her Nobel, said she had returned home to "mobilize society."

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026

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

He believed what was necessary was to mobilize thousands to make their case in the court of public opinion.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

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

He has also served as the executive director of Global Justice, an organization that educates and mobilizes students around global human rights and economic justice.

From Salon ● Feb. 11, 2025

Art mobilizes against bullets, bombs and tanks in “Porcelain War,” a documentary about how beauty not only persists amid the wreckage of warfare but serves as a necessary existential weapon of its own.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2025

“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

Shasta Climbing Rangers, who had already been mobilized after friends of the injured man became concerned and reported him missing, according to the Forest Service.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

Thousands of army, police and paramilitary forces have been mobilized for search and rescue operations in Nepal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

But in an emergency, all six subsidiaries must be mobilized immediately and simultaneously.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

Last month, the Houthis began stepping up the fight, mobilizing to take territory along the Bab al-Mandeb.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

“I’ve been doing this work for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. ...People from San Diego up to Eureka and Humboldt, everybody is mobilizing because everybody realizes what’s at risk.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

To win, El-Sayed is counting on mobilizing a progressive base, outraged by Trump's second term, and targeting bread-and-butter issues of importance across the political divide.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Music and singing played a critical role in inspiring, mobilizing, and giving voice to the Civil Rights movement.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

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Related Words

• assemble
• marshal
• organize
• prepare

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