stabilizer

American  

[stey-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.

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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

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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

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

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

A Smithsonian Institution lab found that a flock of Brant and Canada geese “impacted” the rotor blades and the horizontal stabilizer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

Its importance as a thickener and stabilizer — with no real substitute — should make it a boon for Sudan, once responsible for up to 80% of the world’s supply.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 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

He made his way just abaft of the cabin, then stood squinting up at the Susan Marie’s guys and stays and at the peaks of her stabilizer bars.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

Often, they’re processed with emulsifiers, flavor enhancers, stabilizers and other additives.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026

At the same time, measurements of the X-type stabilizers were paused.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 6, 2026

As China policymakers search for stabilizers to offset property-sector weakness and sluggish high-tier consumption, the lower-tier growth story offers a different angle: not a dramatic rebound, but a slower-burning simmer that may provide structural ballast.

From Barron's ● Nov. 15, 2025

They’re industrially processed, built with emulsifiers, stabilizers and preservatives you couldn’t buy at a supermarket, let alone cook with at home.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2025

“Does this one really have dynamic stabilizers to stop wave motion?”

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• mediator
• referee