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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of immobilize
Combined with modern synthetic fibers, the down immobilizes warm air and slows its escape.
—
Longji Cui, The Conversation, 26 Dec. 2025
Euroclear, a securities depository in Belgium, holds most of the Russian assets immobilized in the EU.
—Olesya Dmitracova, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
Breakups can be agonizing, even immobilizing; sometimes, wallowing is the ideal way forward.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Now, the new vitrification facility, a US$10-billion engineering project built to immobilize that high-level waste in glass, has turned its first 5,500 liters into inert, permanent canisters.
—New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for immobilize
Longji Cui, The Conversation, 26 Dec. 2025
Euroclear, a securities depository in Belgium, holds most of the Russian assets immobilized in the EU.
—Olesya Dmitracova, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
Breakups can be agonizing, even immobilizing; sometimes, wallowing is the ideal way forward.
—Anna Holmes, The Atlantic, 16 Dec. 2025
Now, the new vitrification facility, a US$10-billion engineering project built to immobilize that high-level waste in glass, has turned its first 5,500 liters into inert, permanent canisters.
—New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for immobilize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immobilize
Verb
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Cuban officials acknowledged at the end of last year the country’s economy is yet again paralyzed due to fuel shortages and power stations constantly breaking down.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
3 Jan. 2026
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This week's protests are the biggest in three years, since nationwide demonstrations triggered by the death of a young woman in custody in late 2022 paralyzed Iran for weeks, with rights groups reporting hundreds killed.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
2 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The suspect advanced on police after a roughly seven-minute standoff and officers deployed stun guns, which failed to incapacitate him, according to Minch.—
Kerry Burke,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Munoz-Guatemala was not incapacitated by the Taser, prosecutors said, and kept driving, taking Ross the length of a football field in 12 seconds.—
Ryan J. Foley,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Both have endured crippling US sanctions that have precipitated economic collapses.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
7 Jan. 2026
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In November 2021, while massing troops along its border with Ukraine, Russia threatened to cripple GPS if NATO got in the way.—
Letters to the Editor,
Washington Post,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The video evidence also appears to undermine elements of the government’s narrative of what happened.—
Allison Gordon,
CNN Money,
10 Jan. 2026
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Environmental and labor leaders say the pause is costing thousands of jobs and undermining energy independence.—
Carolyn Gusoff,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Immobilize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immobilize. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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