immobilize
/i'moubilaiz/ Cách viết khác : (immobilise) /i'moubilaiz/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To cause to be unable to move: To make something or someone incapable of movement or action.
- To prevent the use, conversion, or movement of (assets): To render financial assets unavailable for use or circulation.
- To make defenseless: To deprive of the ability to resist or defend.
- To hold fast or prevent from moving: To fix something securely in place, rendering it immobile.
- To hold as reserve or withdraw from circulation: To retain capital or funds in a non-liquid state, removing them from active use.
Usage and Examples
- To cause to be unable to move:
- The broken leg immobilized the athlete for the entire season.
- A massive snowfall can immobilize an entire city.
- To prevent the use or movement of assets:
- The court order will immobilize the company's funds during the investigation.
- Governments can immobilize the assets of sanctioned individuals.
- To make defenseless or hold fast:
- The spider's venom immobilizes its prey.
- The rescue team used a splint to immobilize the injured hiker's arm.
Advanced Usage
- In a medical context: Refers to the act of restricting movement to allow healing, as in .
- In a military/strategic context: Refers to rendering enemy forces incapable of movement or action.
- In finance: Often used in the passive voice to describe assets that are frozen or locked, e.g.,
Variants and Related Words
- Immobilization (noun): The act of immobilizing or the state of being immobilized.
- The immobilization of the joint was necessary for recovery.
- Immobilizer (noun): A device that prevents something from moving, especially a vehicle anti-theft system.
- Immobile (adjective): Not moving; motionless.
- The patient remained immobile after the surgery.
Synonyms
- Paralyze: To cause a loss of the ability to move or function.
- Disable: To deprive of capability or effectiveness.
- Freeze: To cause assets to become unavailable.
- Pin: To hold down or fix in place.
- Cripple: To disable or impair the functioning of.
Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions
(Note: "Immobilize" is not typically used in standard phrasal verb constructions. Its meaning is conveyed directly.) - To be/become immobilized: The passive form is common. - The traffic was immobilized by the protest. - The funds became immobilized due to legal restrictions.
Related Idioms
(Note: There are no common idioms centered solely on the word "immobilize." Its usage is primarily literal or technical.)
Verb
- cause to be unable to move
- The sudden storm immobilized the traffic
- prohibit the conversion or use of (assets)
- Blocked funds
- Freeze the assets of this hostile government
- convert (assets) into fixed capital
- make defenseless
- to hold fast or prevent from moving
- The child was pinned under the fallen tree
- hold as reserve or withdraw from circulation; of capital