noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American:/ˈsteɪbəlaɪzɚ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S T EY1 B AH0 L AY2 Z ER0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
Any person or thing that brings stability.
Any substance added to something in order to stabilize it, as for example a fuel additive that prolongs the shelf life of petrol.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Any person or thing that brings stability.
An additional wheel on a bicycle to keep it upright to assist a learner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: training wheel
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
Any person or thing that brings stability.
A gyroscopically controlled fin or similar device that prevents the excess rolling of a ship in rough seas.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
Any person or thing that brings stability.
An airfoil that stabilizes the flight of an aircraft or missile.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
Any person or thing that brings stability.
A piece of backing fabric used in embroidery.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US
Topics: business, manufacturing, textiles
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
For a group operating on a set and an element x of the set, the set of all group elements fixing x.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US
Topics: mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
a device for making something stable
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: stabiliser
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: device
Narrower terms: fin, gyrostabilizer, gyrostabiliser, outrigger, stabilizer bar, anti-sway bar
8
noun
Meaning 8
airfoil consisting of a device for stabilizing an aircraft
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: airfoil, aerofoil, control surface, surface
a chemical that is added to a solution or mixture or suspension to maintain it in a stable or unchanging state
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: chemical, chemical substance
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English stable Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English stabilize English -er English stabilizer From stabilize + -er.
Across languages
Translations
42 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
стабилизатор
(stabilizator)
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Catalan:
estabilitzador
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Czech:
stabilizátor
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Dutch:
stabilisator
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Finnish:
stabilointiaine
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Finnish:
stabilaattori
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Finnish:
vakaute
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
French:
stabilisateur
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Galician:
estabilizador
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
German:
Stabilisator
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Greek:
σταθεροποιητής
(statheropoiitís)
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Irish:
cobhsaitheoir
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Italian:
stabilizzatore
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Kazakh:
тұрақтандырғыш
(tūraqtandyrğyş)
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Polish:
stabilizator
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Portuguese:
estabilizador
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Spanish:
estabilizador
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Turkish:
dengeleyici
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Turkish:
stabilizatör
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Ukrainian:
стабіліза́тор
(stabilizátor)
— substance added to something in order to stabilize it
Danish:
støttehjul
— training wheels on child's bicycle
Finnish:
apupyörät
— training wheels on child's bicycle
French:
roulettes
— training wheels on child's bicycle
Irish:
cobhsaitheoir
— training wheels on child's bicycle
Norwegian Bokmål:
støttehjul
— training wheels on child's bicycle
Portuguese:
rodinha
— training wheels on child's bicycle
Swedish:
stödhjul
— training wheels on child's bicycle
Turkish:
denge tekeri
— training wheels on child's bicycle
Turkish:
denge tekerleği
— training wheels on child's bicycle
Ukrainian:
страхувальні колеса
(straxuvalʹni kolesa)
— training wheels on child's bicycle
Finnish:
evävakain
— fin or similar device that prevents the excess rolling of a ship
Finnish:
evävakaaja
— fin or similar device that prevents the excess rolling of a ship
Polish:
stabilizator
— fin or similar device that prevents the excess rolling of a ship
Bulgarian:
стабилизатор
(stabilizator)
— airfoil that stabilizes the flight of an aircraft or missile
Finnish:
vakain
— airfoil that stabilizes the flight of an aircraft or missile
Finnish:
vakaaja
— airfoil that stabilizes the flight of an aircraft or missile
French:
stabilisateur
— airfoil that stabilizes the flight of an aircraft or missile
Kazakh:
тұрақтандырғыш
(tūraqtandyrğyş)
— airfoil that stabilizes the flight of an aircraft or missile
Norwegian Bokmål:
krengningsstabilisator
— airfoil that stabilizes the flight of an aircraft or missile
Tamil:
நிலைப்படுத்தி
(nilaippaṭutti)
— airfoil that stabilizes the flight of an aircraft or missile
Finnish:
stabilisaattori
— set of group elements fixing an element of a set operated on by the group
German:
Stabilisator
— set of group elements fixing an element of a set operated on by the group