immobilizing

verb

present participle of immobilize
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of immobilizing That, combined with a nearly immobilizing back injury and a relationship turned toxic, left me feeling panicked. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 20 Aug. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for immobilizing
  1. paralyzing
  2. crippling
  3. incapacitating
  4. disabling
Verb
  • National Guardsmen marched in the paralyzing heat, which, along with the shadows cast by a revolving sculpture in the courtyard, suggested the eerie calm before the gunfight in a Western.
    — Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Responsible deployment does not require paralyzing every use case.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of paralyzing
Verb
  • And the high pay they’re being offered as a lure is crippling the economy.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Trump claims the United States has opened the strait to all commercial ships other than those from Iran, crippling Iran's economy because of its reliance on oil exports.
    — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of crippling
Verb
  • All that before disorienting and incapacitating a potential school shooter in about a minute.
    — Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The driver hits Leatherface in the head with a wrench, incapacitating him long enough for the driver to run away and Sally to jump into the cab of a passing pickup truck.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 July 2026
Definition of incapacitating
Verb
  • For the majority of people with schizophrenia, however, the condition is persistent, disabling and isolating.
    — Matthew Kurtz, The Conversation, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Iran targeted that base with a missile attack, partly disabling it.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of disabling

Browse Nearby Words

immobilizes
immobilizing
immoderacy
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Cite this Entry

“Immobilizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/immobilizing. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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