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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Recent Examples of immobilize
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
It’s also known that Waymo pays humans to physically deal with vehicles immobilized by — for example — a passenger’s failure to fully close a car door when exiting.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Bryant, Adkins return Wednesday also marked rookie receiver Pat Bryant’s first appearance in Broncos gear since a scary late-game hit in Week 16 against Jacksonville, resulting in Bryant being immobilized and sent to the hospital for a concussion.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 1 Jan. 2026
This biological soil crust immobilizes shifting dunes and establishes a nutrient-rich substrate essential for the successional development of plant life.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for immobilize
Michele Gile, CBS News, 7 Jan. 2026
It’s also known that Waymo pays humans to physically deal with vehicles immobilized by — for example — a passenger’s failure to fully close a car door when exiting.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Bryant, Adkins return Wednesday also marked rookie receiver Pat Bryant’s first appearance in Broncos gear since a scary late-game hit in Week 16 against Jacksonville, resulting in Bryant being immobilized and sent to the hospital for a concussion.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 1 Jan. 2026
This biological soil crust immobilizes shifting dunes and establishes a nutrient-rich substrate essential for the successional development of plant life.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for immobilize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immobilize
Verb
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Because of the paralyzing fear caused by their operation, small businesses whose customer bases and workforces include immigrant community members temporarily closed due to the sharp drop in customers and fear that their businesses would be subject to CBP raids.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Feb. 2026
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McDonald was only 20 months on the job when a 15-year-old suspect, Shavod Jones, opened fire on him in Central Park on July 12, 1986, striking McDonald in the face, neck and wrist, and paralyzing him instantly.—
Barry Williams,
New York Daily News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the first half of the Super Bowl against Cincinnati, Beckham suffered a complete ACL tear and was incapacitated.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The two climbers, 47 and 50 years old, were requesting assistance, saying they were incapacitated and unable to continue their route.—
Jennifer McRae,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Foot traffic at restaurants, shops and mosques sharply declined, turning once-lively economic and social hubs into ghost towns, and threatening to cripple the livelihood of an entire community.—
Yahya Salem,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Working at temperatures that would normally cripple lithium-ion cells, a team of Chinese researchers has built a new liquid-solid-state lithium battery that continues to deliver power in deep-freeze conditions.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The report also undermines Orbán’s claims that Hungary has no option but to purchase Russian oil.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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This constitutes a blatant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, undermines the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and obstructs the establishment of their independent sovereign state .—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Immobilize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immobilize. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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