stabilize
Americanverb (used with object)
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stabilizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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stabilized,
past participle, past
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stabilizing
present participle
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to make or hold stable, firm, or steadfast.
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to maintain at a given or unfluctuating level or quantity.
The government will try to stabilize the cost of living.
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Aeronautics. to put or keep (an aircraft) in stable equilibrium, as by some special device.
verb (used without object)
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stabilizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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stabilized,
past participle, past
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stabilizing
present participle
verb
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to make or become stable or more stable
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to keep or be kept stable
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to put or keep (an aircraft, vessel, etc) in equilibrium by one or more special devices, or (of an aircraft, vessel, etc) to become stable
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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stabilizationnoun
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restabilizeverb (used with object)
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self-stabilizedadjective
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self-stabilizingadjective
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unstabilizedadjective
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unstabilizingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stabilizesimple
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stabilizessimple
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have stabilizedperfect
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has stabilizedperfect
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am stabilizingprogressive
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are stabilizingprogressive
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is stabilizingprogressive
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have been stabilizingperfect progressive
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has been stabilizingperfect progressive
Past
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stabilizedsimple
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had stabilizedperfect
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was stabilizingprogressive
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were stabilizingprogressive
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had been stabilizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stabilize
Explanation
The verb stabilize means to hold steady or make firm. When you climb a ladder, you should stabilize the ladder before you get on it, otherwise you may get a lesson in the laws of gravity — you know, what goes up comes down! The verb stabilize also means to keep from changing or shifting. If you have a fever and your temperature is all over the place, you can help stabilize it by taking aspirin. The verb stabilize was originally applied to ships and the idea that something like weight or the shape of the ship could be used to produce a steadier, or less wobbly, voyage. Now the verb applies to anything that can be made more steady or stable. You might remember how happy you were when learning to ride a bike that you had training wheels to stabilize you.
Vocabulary lists containing stabilize
Hatchet
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Purple Hibiscus
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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:
President Trump and Xi pledged to stabilize relations during a May summit in Beijing, but the two countries have continued exchanging tit-for-tat trade measures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Strengthening the surrounding muscle and addressing the inflammation in the area should help stabilize and take pressure off the inside of his elbow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Similar effects already help stabilize dense objects such as white dwarfs and neutron stars and can reproduce the inflationary expansion phase.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Turkey's foreign minister said Saturday he expected Egypt to join a joint defence agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan designed to stabilize the region, calling the country a "natural partner on all issues".
From Barron's ● Aug. 8, 2026
She needed to stabilize her position in order to help support Mark Antony’s faltering efforts.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
Even if the Iran conflict cools and oil stabilizes, a powerful El Niño could keep pressure on essential prices through the end of 2026 and into 2027.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Under healthy conditions, tau stabilizes microtubules, the filament-like structures that help maintain neuronal shape and function.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
“Feedback from clients remains that the hawkish surprise from Fed was not on the markets’ bingo card and until it stabilizes, miners could remain in the penalty box,” Morgan Stanley said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Waldorf had spelled out the catch-22 in her journal that morning: “If I need a blood transfusion and it stabilizes my condition, they cannot induce. If my temp continues to spike then they can induce.”
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
This military strength deters aggression against our allies, stabilizes our relations with former adversaries, and protects our homeland.
From State of the Union Address by Gerald R. Ford
Treasury yields stabilized after rising during Asian trade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
“When the pace of new delinquencies stabilized in early 2024, the stock kept rising as charged-off debts accumulated,” the researchers said in their blog post.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
U.S. stock futures rose, as markets stabilized after reacting sharply to the Fed’s rate meeting Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
“Branded checkout has further stabilized and we’re building on the strong momentum in Venmo and Braintree as well as diversifying our business model through financial services.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Franklin Roosevelt had been in office for a year and a half, the stock market had stabilized, for the moment, and employment was up slightly.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
A second economic support is that Japan’s labor market is stabilizing “and potentially starting to strengthen,” he says.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
Tai chi strengthens the lower-body and builds postural and core muscles — the body’s deep stabilizing muscles — though it does so gently, over time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
The chain’s business began stabilizing, and the board’s executive committee started looking into finding Masino’s successor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
The architecture of the carbon support offers additional benefits beyond stabilizing the nanoparticles.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
Hence some stabilizing device must have been essential not only for the Austronesian expansion through Indonesia but even for the initial colonization of Taiwan.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
