as in paralyzing
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 immobilizing
As the machines thunder down the track, momentum causes the weight-box to slide across the trailer until the balance shifts so much that the sled digs into the ground and the back tires lift, immobilizing it.
—
Zach Jaworski, NPR, 18 Aug. 2025
Zach Jaworski, NPR, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immobilizing
Verb
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Discipline without optimism is paralyzing.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
7 Oct. 2025
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Shortly after Henry’s death, Augusta suffered two paralyzing strokes, intensifying her and Ed’s isolated, co-dependent relationship before her death in 1945.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Perreira agrees that the financial imbalance in the game is crippling West Indies.—
Paul Newman,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Related Stories Pogachefsky is now suing 42West and his former employees, accusing them of crippling his company and scuttling his talks to sell the firm.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While the name suggests something far more trivial, significant damage to the ligaments of the metatarsophalangeal joint can be incapacitating.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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To write one’s way out of the incapacitating dependence of daughterhood into autonomy means shedding the unquestioning fidelity of a child.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Because fiber-optic drones are harder to produce, they are typically reserved for high-value strikes or for disabling jamming systems to clear the way for cheaper FPVs.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Oct. 2025
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The crew then fired three rounds into the starboard engine, disabling the boat about four miles southwest of Point Loma.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Immobilizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immobilizing. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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