mobilize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to assemble or marshal (armed forces, military reserves, or civilian persons of military age) into readiness for active service.
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to organize or adapt (industries, transportation facilities, etc.) for service to the government in time of war.
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to marshal, bring together, prepare (power, force, wealth, etc.) for action, especially of a vigorous nature.
to mobilize one's energy.
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to increase or bring to a full stage of development.
to mobilize one's anger.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to prepare for war or other emergency by organizing (national resources, the armed services, etc)
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(tr) to organize for a purpose; marshal
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(tr) to put into motion, circulation, or use
Other Word Forms
- mobilizable adjective
- mobilization noun
- mobilizer noun
- overmobilize verb
- remobilize verb
- unmobilized adjective
Etymology
Origin of mobilize
First recorded in 1830–40; back formation from mobilization; mobile, -ization
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.
Within hours, a coalition of independent media figures mobilized to turn Lemon’s detention into a fundraiser and rallying cry.
From Salon
MINNEAPOLIS—In a typical winter, Minnesota’s transportation department would be mobilizing its heavy-duty vehicles to plow snow, but lately it has redeployed part of its fleet to block streets for protests.
More than 2,500 city workers are mobilized for the 24/7 operation.
From Barron's
"Five or six minutes outside could literally be dangerous for your health," she said, adding that emergency crews were fully mobilized.
From Barron's
But what stays with me most vividly is watching generations of women mobilize when someone was having a hard time.
From Salon
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.
