ˈstābəˌlīz sometimes ˈstab- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: stabile + -ize
transitive verb
1. : to make stable, steadfast, or firm
sand fences were built and grasses planted to stabilize the migratory ridges — American Guide Series: North Carolina
advise me where the plant should be stabilized — P.A.Zahl
religious faith … stabilizes one's life — Rufus Jones
the recent arrivals … strengthened and stabilized the organization they discovered already in existence — Oscar Handlin
2. : to make or hold steady : prevent fluctuations of : maintain at a constant level: as
a. : to maintain or to make it possible to maintain the stability of (as an airplane) by means of fixed surfaces or gyroscopic or other devices not manipulated by an operator
a rocket stabilized by a gyroscope
b. : to limit fluctuations of (as business activity, prices, or employment)
c. : to establish a minimum price for (a security) by buying all offerings at that price
3. : set 40
a chemical treatment to stabilize a fabric
intransitive verb
1. : to become stable, firm, or steadfast
prices received by farmers had stabilized — Dun's Review
the birthrate has fallen and populations have tended to stabilize — Gerald Piel
when pulse and blood pressure respond and stabilize — Journal American Medical Association
2. : to prevent regeneration by inserting resistors in the grid circuits of the electron tubes
Synonyms:
stabilize , steady , poise , balance , ballast , and trim are seldom interchangeable but can mean, in common, to maintain or cause to maintain position or equilibrium. stabilize applies to what fluctuates or is unsteady and calls for regulation by an external force
measures to stabilize and in the long run to enlarge farm income — New Republic
if the stock rises, the fund can buy fewer shares; if the stock falls, it can buy more, thus tending to stabilize the market — Time
steady applies to what loses, or is subject to loss of, its customary stability, and consequently rocks, shakes, flutters, or tips
steady a table by putting a wedge under one leg
while medics steadied trays of instruments against bomb concussions — Bill Alcine
controlled elections steadied authoritarian regimes during the year — M.B.Travis
a medicine to steady the nerves
poise applies chiefly to what maintains its equilibrium, either by an inherent proper distribution of balancing forces or by a discipline as of muscle or mind, under circumstances which would normally upset it, especially external forces (as the law of gravity), or in a way that suggests imminent upset
try to see a figure poised on a crag or jut of ice over a precipice — Marion Sheridan
kingfishers poise on bare cypress limbs — American Guide Series: Florida
the world is poised, uneasily, dangerously, on a point of decision — London Calling
balance also implies an equilibrium resulting from an even distribution of opposing forces but, unlike poise , carries little suggestion of sustained equilibrium or of forces working to upset
balance a pair of scales by putting like weights in both trays
a military dictatorship of one man who balances and plays off the main forces of the country against each other — H.L.Matthews
her humor … balanced between dignity and absurdity — Current Biography
ballast implies the addition of something heavy or solid to hold down, hold steady, or ensure the stability of something too light or too buoyant; in application to the mind or character it implies something counteracting volatility, frivolity, or uncertainty
ballast a canoe in stormy weather with large stones
the marriage seemed to ballast the normally flighty girl
trim implies a proper balancing, as of a boat or ship, especially by moving contents around so that it sits well or fulfills well any of the conditions that make for steadiness
could be trimmed on an even keel … like scales, in which the weight on one side must be counterposed by a weight in the other — Richard Jefferies
one man … can make quick work of loading and trimming a boxcar — Industrial Equipment News