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
The venom causes a drop in blood pressure in the prey as well as prolonged bleeding, immobilizing it and allowing the dragon to bring it down and kill it.
—
Craig Stanford,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
Meteorologists said the storm is the strongest in a decade, dumping more than 2 feet of snow in parts of the metropolitan Northeast, shattering accumulation records in places, immobilizing transit and even leading the United Nations to postpone a Security Council meeting.
—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Meteorologists said the storm is the strongest in a decade, dumping more than 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow in parts of the metropolitan Northeast, shattering accumulation records in places, immobilizing transit and even leading the United Nations to postpone a Security Council meeting.
—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
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
Breakups can be agonizing, even immobilizing; sometimes, wallowing is the ideal way forward.
—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
16 Dec. 2025
Waste is retrieved from aging tanks, contamination plumes are treated, and the vitrification plant has begun immobilizing certain high-level radioactive wastes in glass, a milestone that reshapes the future of the site but doesn’t soften its complexity.
—
New Atlas,
14 Dec. 2025
Metallic gels offer a potential solution by immobilizing the liquid component without sacrificing performance.
—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
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
Craig Stanford,
Big Think,
7 May 2026
Meteorologists said the storm is the strongest in a decade, dumping more than 2 feet of snow in parts of the metropolitan Northeast, shattering accumulation records in places, immobilizing transit and even leading the United Nations to postpone a Security Council meeting.
—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Meteorologists said the storm is the strongest in a decade, dumping more than 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow in parts of the metropolitan Northeast, shattering accumulation records in places, immobilizing transit and even leading the United Nations to postpone a Security Council meeting.
—
Anthony Izaguirre,
Chicago Tribune,
23 Feb. 2026
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
Breakups can be agonizing, even immobilizing; sometimes, wallowing is the ideal way forward.
—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
16 Dec. 2025
Waste is retrieved from aging tanks, contamination plumes are treated, and the vitrification plant has begun immobilizing certain high-level radioactive wastes in glass, a milestone that reshapes the future of the site but doesn’t soften its complexity.
—
New Atlas,
14 Dec. 2025
Metallic gels offer a potential solution by immobilizing the liquid component without sacrificing performance.
—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immobilizing
Verb
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His grief was crushing, paralyzing, calamitous.
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The tiniest decisions were paralyzing.
Verb
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Crucially, the strike targeted a critical AVT-6 distillation unit, potentially crippling the refinery's entire 12 million tons/year capacity,.
-
The fall broke both his legs, crippling him.
Verb
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Tabitha grabs one of the weird, spooky totem things and drives it through the chest of the scarecrow monster attacking Donna, killing it – or at least incapacitating it – and the scarecrows retreat.
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One of four passengers in Bain’s car, 22-year-old Destiny Betts, suffered incapacitating injuries and was transported to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial from the scene, according to the report.
Verb
-
Oftentimes, disabling security protections is frowned upon.
-
Anthropic complied within hours, disabling the models for all customers globally, though other models remain active.
Cite this Entry
“Immobilizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immobilizing. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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