as in to paralyze
to render powerless, ineffective, or unable to move
town councils felt immobilized by the powers newly granted to the state legislation
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Recent Examples of immobilize
Freshman tight end Jacob Alvarez is also among the injured, wearing a cast on his right arm that immobilized his thumb.
—
Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025
People avoided crowded places during epidemics, and hospital wards filled with children encased in iron lungs after the virus immobilized their breathing muscles.
—CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2025
Under city ordinance, a car may be immobilized by a boot after three unpaid parking tickets.
—Tony Plohetski, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
At the age of nine, McLaren was diagnosed with Perthes disease, a rare childhood bone disorder that affected his left hip and forced him to spend more than two years in hospital with his leg immobilized in a traction device.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for immobilize
Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2025
People avoided crowded places during epidemics, and hospital wards filled with children encased in iron lungs after the virus immobilized their breathing muscles.
—CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2025
Under city ordinance, a car may be immobilized by a boot after three unpaid parking tickets.
—Tony Plohetski, Austin American Statesman, 30 July 2025
At the age of nine, McLaren was diagnosed with Perthes disease, a rare childhood bone disorder that affected his left hip and forced him to spend more than two years in hospital with his leg immobilized in a traction device.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for immobilize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immobilize
Verb
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Because her brother is paralyzed after an attack on a Charlotte Area Transit System bus in March.—
Andrew Dys,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Sep. 2025
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Congress does not fail to act on guns because it is paralyzed.—
John J. Donohue,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Another note that came up in the responses to this question is that everyone, of any age, should make sure that there are plans in place for a friend or relative to take care of the dog if the owner is incapacitated or dies.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
18 Sep. 2025
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel needs to incapacitate Hamas in the city to avoid a repeat of the October 7 attack that ignited the war.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Killing, Corrupting, and Exiling of Science Under Hitler Widely regarded as the world’s research powerhouse in the 1920s and early 30s, German science was crippled by the Nazis starting in 1933, when Hitler gained power as Chancellor.—
Scott Montgomery,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Deadly floods in Asia have devastated crops, crippling already fragile food production.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This slow adoption stems from a low tolerance for errors, past disappointments with AI and a belief that years of legal training shouldn't be undermined by machine learning—all valid perspectives widely discussed in the industry.—
Matthew Sole,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
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Here's one simple mistake that can undermine all your pasta-making efforts.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Immobilize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immobilize. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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