immobilise

present singular third person immobilises · participle present immobilising · participle past immobilised · past immobilised

1. UKalternativeAlternative spelling of immobilize.

   Also attached to the pillar were the jougs - an iron collar used to immobilise petty offenders in the same way as the pillory was used in England.

   1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 280, about Meikleour, Scotland

   4 more examples

   For the past three-and-half years the City of Philadelphia has been successfully operating commuter services within city boundaries. The aim is to attract motorists to the rail, to relieve street traffic which has tended to immobilise the city.

   1962 July, “Talking of Trains: U.S. city to subsidise railroads?”, in Modern Railways, page 14

   You can partially or totally ignore the situation for a short while longer, you can become immobilised with fear, or you can become an urban warrior (or warrioress) and groove on the greatest, most spectacular tragicomic, science-'fiction' drama ever enacted on this planet (probably) until the lights go out.

   2012, Stephen Russell, Handbook for the Urban Warrior: Spiritual Survival Guide, →ISBN

   It’s all based on immobilising your opponent, rather than punching or kicking them, which means you learn how to neutralise, for example, a stranger grabbing your wrist.

   2019 September 14, Charles Negromonte Santos, “Fitness tips: three benefits of Brazilian jiu-jitsu”, in The Guardian

   Australian researchers have found a protein in the lungs that sticks to the Covid-19 virus like velcro and immobilises it, which may explain why some people never become sick with the virus while others suffer serious illness.

   2023 September 2, Melissa Davey, “‘Crazy interesting’ findings by Australian researchers may reveal key to Covid immunity”, in The Guardian