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

The advent of name, image and likeness (NIL) rules and the increase in player mobility via the transfer portal have had massive effects on college football. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 27 Dec. 2025

Lunges Lunges work to strengthen the hips and improve lower body balance, coordination, and mobility. —Rikkilynn Shields Hannigan, Health, 26 Dec. 2025

In 2014, Woo and Han moved back to Asia, and set out to digitalise the cross-border mobility services between the bustling cities of Hong Kong and Shenzhen. —Angelica Ang, Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025

His research spans air taxis, autonomous mobility, delivery robots, and futuristic transport concepts like the Hyperloop, with a focus on how social norms, risk perception, and lived experience shape adoption. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025

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