mobile

adjective mo·bile \ ˈmō-bəl , -ˌbī-əl also -ˌbēl \

|Updated on: 19 Aug 2018

Examples: mobile in a Sentence

Definition of mobile

1 : capable of moving or being moved : movable

a mobile missile launcher

a mobile laboratory

2 a : changeable in appearance, mood, or purpose

mobile face

b : adaptable, versatile

an organization mobile enough to be able to cope with any emergency

3 : migratory

a mobile society of nomadic herders

4 a : characterized by the mixing of social groups

the general confusion in moral standards which characterizes mobile societies
—E. R. Mowrer

b : having the opportunity for or undergoing a shift in status within the levels of a society

socially mobile workers

5 : marked by the use of vehicles for transportation

mobile warfare

6 : of or relating to a mobile

A mobile art work hung from the ceiling.

7 : cellular 3

a mobile phone

—

mobility

play \mō-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

See mobile defined for English-language learners

See mobile defined for kids

Examples of mobile in a Sentence

Their armies are now fully mobile.
a mobile kitchen that helps bring food to homeless people

Recent Examples of mobile from the Web

Skip wants to hook into the region’s Clipper Card transit network and has pledged to set up kiosks in disadvantaged areas to help people create accounts without mobile devices.

— johana bhuiyan, Recode, "Scooter companies tried to barge into San Francisco and got kicked out. Now they’re making big promises to get legal.," 26 June 2018
The move comes as the race over mobile payments is heating up.

— aaron pressman, Fortune, "Uber and Uber Eats to Accept Venmo for Payments," 12 July 2018
Facing intense competition from Amazon.com Inc., Walmart has been investing in self-checkout and mobile payments, pushing customers toward its own digital wallet, Walmart Pay.

— liz hoffman, WSJ, "Walmart in Talks to Move Credit-Card Partnership to Capital One," 12 July 2018
The global cashless movement has reached Washington, where a growing number of fast-casual and other establishments are saying no to greenbacks in favor of plastic and mobile payments.

— fenit nirappil, Washington Post, "As restaurants go cashless, a backlash is building. Will D.C. intervene?," 9 July 2018
Ant and Tencent, for instance, are introducing Germans to the blessings of Alipay and WeChat Pay, their mobile-payment systems.

— The Economist, "America’s tech giants vie with China’s in third countries," 5 July 2018
Each day, billions of users pay for everything from food to tax bills with the mobile payment apps WeChat Pay and AliPay.

— janelle nanos, BostonGlobe.com, "Businesses court Chinese tourists with WeChat, AliPay," 29 June 2018
Not only are a Harry Potter mobile game and a Fantastic Beasts sequel on the horizon for Wizarding World fanatics, but now Mattel is releasing a line of new dolls modeled after your favorite characters in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

— melissa minton, Teen Vogue, "Harry Potter Dolls Have Been Released by Mattel," 27 June 2018
Consider the WeChat instant messaging app, which offers mobile payments, online banking, car services, and more.

— klint finley, WIRED, "Does It Matter If China Beats the US to Build a 5G Network?," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mobile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of mobile

Middle English mobyll, from Anglo-French moble, from Latin mobilis, from movēre to move

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

mobile Synonyms

mobile

noun mo·bile \ ˈmō-ˌbēl \

Definition of mobile

1 : a construction or sculpture frequently of wire and sheet metal shapes with parts that can be set in motion by air currents; also : a similar structure (as of paper or plastic) suspended so that it moves in a current of air

2 British : cell phone, mobile phone

See mobile defined for English-language learners

Examples of mobile in a Sentence

They hung a mobile over the baby's bed.
Even if I'm out of the office you can reach me on my mobile.

Recent Examples of mobile from the Web

Full-service restaurants and fast-food chains alike are revamping their menus and technology to entice diners with fresh food, mobile ordering and automated kiosks, a new study reported from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) states.

— caroline judelson, Fox News, "Chick-fil-A holds lead as top fast-food restaurant for third year; Cracker Barrel no longer first in full-service," 6 July 2018
Buoyed by $45 million from an initial public offering, Slyce then acquired Pounce, an Israeli catalog image-recognition app, and Drivetrain Agency, which was developing mobile apps.

— joseph n. distefano, Philly.com, "Philly app maker Slyce turns high-fashion catwalks into smartphone cash registers," 4 July 2018
West Virginia lawmakers this year approved sports betting at the state’s five casinos and on approved mobile apps, shortly before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a federal law that had banned most sports betting.

— john raby, The Seattle Times, "In West Virginia, FanDuel makes first sports wagering deal," 26 June 2018
Both mobile and wired internet connections will go dark for an hour after the beginning of national high school graduation exams, the BBC reports.

— eli meixler, Time, "Algeria Shuts Off Internet Access Nationwide to Combat Cheating on Exams," 20 June 2018
Customers enjoy mobile and desktop access to online banking through the bank’s website portal and mobile apps.

— Houston Chronicle, "Houston bank puts its money where its mouth is," 18 May 2018
Moonlighting is a mobile and web app that provides freelancers with the tools to grow their dream business.

— micah iverson, USA TODAY, "4 tips to market your freelance business in a gig economy," 12 Feb. 2018
On a recent weekday afternoon, Elmedo chatted with her neighbor, who runs a small shop in her home selling snacks, soap, and top-up cards for mobiles.

— rina chandran, The Christian Science Monitor, "Slum dwellers in the Philippines build homes through community programs," 7 June 2018
Expect the release of iOS 12 for mobile and OS 10.14 for Mac — could this the year the operating systems finally start to converge?

— recode staff, Recode, "Recode Daily: How to watch Tim Cook’s keynote today at Apple’s WWDC," 4 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of mobile

see ¹mobile

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1937

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

-mobile

noun combining form

Definition of -mobile

1 : motorized vehicle

snowmobile

2 : automotive vehicle bringing services to the public

bloodmobile

bookmobile

Origin and Etymology of -mobile

automobile

Mobile

geographical name Mo·bile \ mō-ˈbēl , ˈmō-ˌbēl \

Definition of Mobile

1 river 38 miles (61 kilometers) long in southwestern Alabama formed by the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers and flowing south into Mobile Bay (an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico)

2 city and port at the point where the Mobile River enters Mobile Bay in southwestern Alabama population 195,111

MOBILE Defined for English Language Learners

mobile

adjective

Definition of mobile for English Language Learners

: able to move from one place to another
: able to move with the use of vehicles (such as trucks and airplanes)
: able to be moved

mobile

noun

Definition of mobile for English Language Learners

: a work of art or a decoration that is hung from above and that has attached shapes or figures that move easily in the air

MOBILE Defined for Kids

mobile

adjective mo·bile \ ˈmō-bəl , -ˌbēl , -ˌbīl \

Definition of mobile for Students

1 : easily moved : movable

mobile television cameras

2 : changing quickly in expression

The man had a mobile, passionate face …
—Esther Forbes, Johnny Tremain

mobile

noun mo·bile \ ˈmō-ˌbēl \

Definition of mobile for Students

: an artistic structure whose parts can be moved especially by air currents

Medical Dictionary

mobile

adjective mo·bile \ ˈmō-bəl , -ˌbīl \

medical Definition of mobile

1 : capable of moving or being moved about readily

globular proteins that are mobile and rod-shaped proteins that form solid structures

the tongue…is clearly the most mobile articulator
—G. A. Miller

2 : characterized by an extreme degree of fluidity

ether and mercury are mobile liquids

—

mobility

play \mō-ˈbil-ət-ē\ noun, plural -ties

Learn More about mobile

See words that rhyme with mobile Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mobile Spanish Central: Translation of mobile Nglish: Translation of mobile for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of mobile for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mobile

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mobile

Definition of mobile

mobility

Examples of mobile in a Sentence

Recent Examples of mobile from the Web

Origin and Etymology of mobile

mobile Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

mobile

Definition of mobile

Examples of mobile in a Sentence

Recent Examples of mobile from the Web

Origin and Etymology of mobile

-mobile

Definition of -mobile

Origin and Etymology of -mobile

Mobile

Definition of Mobile

Phrases Related to MOBILE

Related Phrases

MOBILE Defined for English Language Learners

mobile

Definition of mobile for English Language Learners

mobile

Definition of mobile for English Language Learners

MOBILE Defined for Kids

mobile

Definition of mobile for Students

mobile

Definition of mobile for Students

Medical Dictionary

mobile

medical Definition of mobile

mobility

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