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)
-
stabilizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stabilized,
past participle, past
-
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
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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:
"I know everybody wants us to go faster, but we're going to do it right," Ortberg said Tuesday of efforts to stabilize output at a faster level.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
British politicians have tried pretty much every other option to stabilize their energy markets, so eventually someone was bound to stumble into the right idea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The 19th-century statesmen gathered at Vienna to stabilize Europe in the aftermath of Napoleon’s ravaging.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
Sexton’s presence could help stabilize the Lakers’ offense, which is averaging 25.3 turnovers during the preseason.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Without engines to stabilize it, the station started bobbing in the waves.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Mobile earnings are expected to improve, as prepaid customer spending stabilizes following recent product changes, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
If gold stabilizes quickly despite tighter monetary policy, investors should ask why.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
In many cases, people taking GLP-1 drugs have reported that their hair begins growing again several months after their weight stabilizes.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
The IPO base usually starts when the stock stabilizes and then reaches a high mark.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Snow stabilizes drainage of the higher northern and eastern mountains but, unfortunately, the only major snow accumulations are in the Drin basin, influencing only the one river system.
From Area Handbook for Albania by Sarah Jane Elpern
The company said it was on track to achieve "stabilized production of 47 per month" for the 737 MAX.
From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026
This ability is particularly remarkable because the snakes accomplish it without a mechanical separation between the rotating and stabilized portions of their bodies.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
SpaceX’s stock has mostly stabilized following a few months of turbulence in the aftermath of its initial public offering, and the company is due to report third-quarter earnings next week.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
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
Hospital staff noticed that he was missing, and a rumor spread that he had died, which his team decided not to address until his health stabilized.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Shop for those that are showing signs of stabilizing.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Also, hyperscalers’ spreads have recently been showing signs of stabilizing, they wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
“Root systems protect Lake Tahoe’s clarity by stabilizing soils that could erode, and uptaking nutrients that would feed algae in the lake,” Cowen wrote in an email.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
"Simplified models can inadvertently strip away the very stabilizing effect we want to capture."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
It had something to do with moving the tongue out of the way or stabilizing it with a stick.
From "Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures" by Kate DiCamillo
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
