mobilize

verb

mo·​bi·​lize ˈmō-bə-ˌlīz 

mobilized; mobilizing

transitive verb

1

a

: to put into movement or circulation

mobilize financial assets

b

: to release (something stored in the organism) for bodily use

The body mobilizes its antibodies.

2

a

: to assemble and make ready for war duty

mobilize all reserve forces for overseas duty

b

: to marshal (something, such as resources) for action

mobilize support for a proposal

intransitive verb

: to undergo mobilization

The army can mobilize quickly for a major war.

Synonyms

• marshal
• marshall
• muster
• rally

Examples of mobilize in a Sentence

They couldn't mobilize enough support to pass the new law.

Several groups have mobilized to oppose the proposed new law.

They have the ability to mobilize quickly.

The government had to mobilize the army quickly.

More than 10,000 troops were mobilized for war.

Recent Examples on the Web

Black women also played a critical role in mobilizing voters in the 2020 presidential election and supporting the bid of Democrat Joe Biden. —Deborah Barfield Berry, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2024

So was the massive Anpo protests of 1959 and 1960, which had mobilized up to one-third of the Japanese people to oppose the renewal of the U.S.-Japan security treaty. —Amanda Kennell, Discover Magazine, 19 Oct. 2024

Legitimate questions will likely be raised about whether evacuations and recovery efforts should have been mobilized earlier or perhaps prior to the storm. —Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2024

With nineteen Electoral College votes, Pennsylvania is the most consequential swing state in the country, and, for Democrats, no group is more essential to mobilize than the women of the Philadelphia suburbs, who helped Joe Biden defeat Donald Trump in 2020. —Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

mobilize

verb

mo·​bi·​lize ˈmō-bə-ˌlīz 

mobilized; mobilizing

: to assemble and make ready for action : marshal

mobilization

ˌmō-bə-lə-ˈzā-shən

noun

Medical Definition

mobilize

verb

mo·​bi·​lize

variants also British mobilise

ˈmō-bə-ˌlīz 

mobilized also British mobilised; mobilizing also British mobilising

transitive verb

1

: to put into movement or circulation : make mobile

specifically : to release (something stored in the body) for body use

the body mobilizes its antibodies

2

: to assemble (as resources) and make ready for use

the sympathetic nervous system … mobilizes the bodily resources as a means of preparing for fight or flight

—H. G. Armstrong

3

: to separate (an organ or part) from associated structures so as to make more accessible for operative procedures

4

: to develop to a state of acute activity

ego feeling and ego attitude … mobilize hostile feelings toward others

—Abram Kardiner

intransitive verb

: to undergo mobilization : assemble and organize for action

mobilizable adjective

also British mobilisable

ˈmō-bə-ˌlī-zə-bəl