as in paralyzing
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 immobilizing
The venom causes a drop in blood pressure in the prey as well as prolonged bleeding, immobilizing it and allowing the dragon to bring it down and kill it.
—
Craig Stanford, Big Think, 7 May 2026
Meteorologists said the storm is the strongest in a decade, dumping more than 2 feet of snow in parts of the metropolitan Northeast, shattering accumulation records in places, immobilizing transit and even leading the United Nations to postpone a Security Council meeting.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Meteorologists said the storm is the strongest in a decade, dumping more than 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow in parts of the metropolitan Northeast, shattering accumulation records in places, immobilizing transit and even leading the United Nations to postpone a Security Council meeting.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Patty Phillips was racing to evacuate from her Malibu home last January when her car got stuck on a boulder, immobilizing her as flames closed in.
—Michele Gile, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Breakups can be agonizing, even immobilizing; sometimes, wallowing is the ideal way forward.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Waste is retrieved from aging tanks, contamination plumes are treated, and the vitrification plant has begun immobilizing certain high-level radioactive wastes in glass, a milestone that reshapes the future of the site but doesn’t soften its complexity.
—New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2025
Metallic gels offer a potential solution by immobilizing the liquid component without sacrificing performance.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025
As the machines thunder down the track, momentum causes the weight-box to slide across the trailer until the balance shifts so much that the sled digs into the ground and the back tires lift, immobilizing it.
—Zach Jaworski, NPR, 18 Aug. 2025
Craig Stanford, Big Think, 7 May 2026
Meteorologists said the storm is the strongest in a decade, dumping more than 2 feet of snow in parts of the metropolitan Northeast, shattering accumulation records in places, immobilizing transit and even leading the United Nations to postpone a Security Council meeting.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
Meteorologists said the storm is the strongest in a decade, dumping more than 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow in parts of the metropolitan Northeast, shattering accumulation records in places, immobilizing transit and even leading the United Nations to postpone a Security Council meeting.
—Anthony Izaguirre, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Patty Phillips was racing to evacuate from her Malibu home last January when her car got stuck on a boulder, immobilizing her as flames closed in.
—Michele Gile, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
Breakups can be agonizing, even immobilizing; sometimes, wallowing is the ideal way forward.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Waste is retrieved from aging tanks, contamination plumes are treated, and the vitrification plant has begun immobilizing certain high-level radioactive wastes in glass, a milestone that reshapes the future of the site but doesn’t soften its complexity.
—New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2025
Metallic gels offer a potential solution by immobilizing the liquid component without sacrificing performance.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025
As the machines thunder down the track, momentum causes the weight-box to slide across the trailer until the balance shifts so much that the sled digs into the ground and the back tires lift, immobilizing it.
—Zach Jaworski, NPR, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immobilizing
Verb
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To him, these alliances resemble the tiny Lilliputians trying to bind the giant Gulliver with paralyzing strings.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Time,
11 May 2026
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These figures can feel abstract, even paralyzing.—
Ed Gaskin,
Boston Herald,
4 May 2026
Verb
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But, in a separate incident reported by Reuters, it was revealed that Musk did cut service in eastern Ukraine around the same time, crippling a planned Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kherson.—
Ben Tarnoff,
Big Think,
23 Apr. 2026
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Eden outlined how, by crippling universities over charges of antisemitism, McMahon could also achieve larger goals.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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One of four passengers in Bain’s car, 22-year-old Destiny Betts, suffered incapacitating injuries and was transported to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial from the scene, according to the report.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
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The defendant at the trial, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, argued that its policy covered only losses resulting from a medically verified, incapacitating illness.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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According to police, Cope refused to stop and continued fleeing after troopers attempted a PIT maneuver, disabling one state police patrol vehicle.—
Garrett Behanna,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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More than half of people 75 and older are living with disabling hearing loss.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Immobilizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immobilizing. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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