stabilizer

American  

[stay-buh-lahy-zer] / ˈsteɪ bəˌlaɪ zər /

noun

• stabilizers
  plural

1. a person or thing that stabilizes.

2. Aeronautics. a device for stabilizing an aircraft, as the fixed, horizontal tail surface on an airplane.

3. Nautical.

   1. a mechanical device for counteracting the roll of a vessel, consisting of a pair of retractable fins so pivoted as to oppose a downward force with an upward one, and vice versa.

   2. a gyrostabilizer.

4. any of various substances added to foods, chemical compounds, etc., to prevent deterioration, the breaking down of an emulsion, or the loss of desirable properties.

5. any compound that, when included with an explosive, decreases the ability of the latter to decompose spontaneously.

6. a substance, as beeswax or aluminum stearate, added to a fast-drying oil paint to improve the dispersion of pigment.

7. a comparatively large shock absorber for motor vehicles.

8. Military.

   1. any of various devices or systems that keep a gun mounted on a moving ship, tank, or plane automatically aimed at its target.

   2. any of various mechanical devices, such as fins, or electronic systems that keep a shell, bomb, rocket, etc., aligned with its target.

9. Navy. any of various devices or systems used to keep a submarine or a torpedo at the proper depth or in the proper position.

---

stabilizer British  

/ ˈsteɪbɪˌlaɪzə /

noun

1. any device for stabilizing an aircraft See also horizontal stabilizer vertical stabilizer

2. a substance added to something to maintain it in a stable or unchanging state, such as an additive to food to preserve its texture during distribution and storage

3. nautical

   1. a system of one or more pairs of fins projecting from the hull of a ship and controllable to counteract roll

   2. See gyrostabilizer

4. either of a pair of brackets supporting a small wheel that can be fitted to the back wheel of a bicycle to help an inexperienced cyclist to maintain balance

5. an electronic device for producing a direct current supply of constant voltage

6. economics a measure, such as progressive taxation, interest-rate control, or unemployment benefit, used to restrict swings in prices, employment, production, etc, in a free economy

7. a person or thing that stabilizes

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• stabilizers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of stabilizer

First recorded in 1905–10; stabilize + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stabilizer stabilizers

Delta Air Lines Flight 7 was taxiing for departure when its left wing clipped Air Canada Flight 785’s horizontal stabilizer at around 10:30 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Lithium, a mood stabilizer, is a common way to treat the illness.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

It also has a large, wavy American Flag painted on its vertical stabilizer, while the older jets have a rectangular flag.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Clinicians call this the “prescribing cascade”: An antidepressant causes insomnia, so a sleep aid is added; a stimulant causes irritability, so a mood stabilizer follows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

In the distance, the Pleiades ship’s gravity stabilizer starts to hum, louder and louder.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

For decades, individual investors treated bonds as virtually worry-free stabilizers in their portfolio.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

"I've tried antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, benzos, sleeping pills and stimulants, cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy... tai chi, reiki, meditation, veganism, art therapy and music therapy," the former stand-up comedian said.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

First, to be considered ultra-processed, food must contain one of several non-natural substances spanning eight categories, among them emulsifiers, stabilizers, flavor enhancers and flavoring agents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2025

Reacting to this concentration of wealth and power, a progressive movement emerged, advocating for new public “institutional” stabilizers like labor rights, women's suffrage, estate taxation, social security, antitrust legislation and effective regulation.

From Salon ● Dec. 31, 2024

Nailer’s eyes swept over the broken clipper’s upper decks, the pontoons and stabilizers and the cracked remains of the fixed-wing sails, all of it white, almost blazingly white in the sun.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

Related Words

• mediator
• referee