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)
-
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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Human Impacts on Earth Systems - Introductory
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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:
Those interactions helped stabilize the entire complex, strengthening the effect of the hybrid molecule beyond what the researchers had initially expected.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
For her, real yields may prove a better guide to market direction, and while they have broken through post-2022 highs in September, a decline here could help to stabilize the S&P 500.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
Lavrov also said at the UN that Moscow is ready to help stabilize the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf region, as the US-Iran conflict drags on.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
The dialogue is part of an effort to stabilize ties as President Trump meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a summit expected to focus on trade issues, artificial intelligence and potential business deals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
It would be most helpful to have a pair of Canadian crutches—forearm crutches, not underarm ones—to help stabilize his walk, but this means someone has to make another trip from the clinic.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
If gold stabilizes quickly despite tighter monetary policy, investors should ask why.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
—Bitcoin rose in Asian trading as the market stabilizes on lighter positioning and improved leverage conditions, though fresh buying remains subdued, Wintermute trader Jasper De Maere said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
An IPO base is a period that happens within the first 25 days of trading where a stock stabilizes and trades in a narrow range.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
"Together, they efficiently confine and enhance the twisting of light to create a strong coupling of spin between photons and electrons. This stabilizes the quantum state that makes quantum communication possible."
From Science Daily ● May 30, 2026
The second Unit of Treatment restores the mental equilibrium, stabilizes the mental activities and places them under perfect control.
From Stammering, Its Cause and Cure by Benjamin Nathaniel Bogue
Even if the war and the oil situation stabilized, Della Fave said, "I wouldn't expect the yields to dramatically reduce, to be honest, because of this influence of the AI debt situation."
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
“It started dropping as if there was turbulence, but crazy. Twenty, 30 seconds of a crazy freefall. It then stabilized and then again started falling,” said Italie, an Israeli ecommerce worker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
At various times, the Tapestry’s fabric has been stabilized by stitching it onto linen lining.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
As crews successfully stabilized the initial container, an adjacent 250-kilowatt container then started to overheat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
I sat down at the small wooden table next to the stove, the shaky tabletop stabilized by pieces of cardboard stuck under the legs.
From "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates" by Wes Moore
Cox noted that new EV sales are stabilizing near 6% of the market as cheaper EVs land on the market.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Shop for those that are showing signs of stabilizing.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
“That certainly serves as a stabilizing force, as we’re literally weeks away from mailing the ballots,” said Dean Logan, head of the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
"Simplified models can inadvertently strip away the very stabilizing effect we want to capture."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
I stood up, stabilizing myself with one hand on the bed.
From "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher
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.
