mobility

noun

mo·​bil·​i·​ty mō-ˈbi-lə-tē 

1

: the quality or state of being mobile or movable

… its efforts were supported by the cavalry which … compensated for the infantry's lack of mobility.

—R. M. Ogorkiewicz

… it becomes cost-effective and socially advantageous to provide urban mobility by means of metros: urban rail mass transit systems on exclusive rights-of-way.

—Michael A Niedzielski et al.

: ability or capacity to move

… the physical challenges of vision loss, hearing loss, and reduced mobility.

—Vicki Bloom and Benjamin B. Green-Field

When large doses of steroids restored mobility, they also created irritability, insatiable appetite, and facial hair …

—Whitney Scott

2

: the ability to change one's social or socioeconomic position in a community and especially to improve it

A large body of academic research shows that inequality and lack of social mobility hurt not just those at the bottom; they hurt everyone.

—Rana Foroohar

The mythology of the American Dream has made it difficult to start a serious conversation about how to create more opportunity in our society, since many of us still believe that our mobility is the result of our elbow grease and nothing more.

—Rana Foroohar

see also upward mobility

Examples of mobility in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Supporting advanced air mobility The initiative supports the Federal Aviation Administration’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, which selected Archer and BETA to help prepare advanced air mobility for commercial operations in the United States. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026

Educational access, professional mobility, legal protections and economic resilience frequently outweigh short-term considerations. — Shai Zamanian, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Matt and Joanne, the founders, dealt with the comfort and mobility issues that creep in with age, Matt with his German Shepherd, Hans, and Joanne with her Goldendoodles, Sandy and Minnie. — Daniel Fusch, USA Today, 17 July 2026

Those with more modest means are falling further behind and, perhaps most alarmingly, finding fewer pathways to the economic mobility that has helped define the American dream. — Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing mobility

• micro-mobility
• mobility scooter
• upward mobility

Rhymes for mobility

• ability
• agility
• civility
• debility
• docility
• ductility
• facility
• fertility
• fragility
• futility
• gentility
• hostility