Meaning & use
mobilization
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The process of organizing and preparing people or resources for a large-scale action, especially war.
Grammar: Usually uncountable, but can be used with 'a' when referring to a specific instance: 'a mobilization of troops'.
Patterns
- mobilization of something
- mobilization for something
- full mobilization
The government ordered the mobilization of all reserve units.
Mobilization of volunteers took several weeks.
The army's mobilization was completed ahead of schedule.
noununcountable
The act of bringing people together to support a cause or take collective action.
Grammar: Often followed by 'of' and a group, or used in phrases like 'voter mobilization'.
Patterns
- mobilization of voters
- community mobilization
- political mobilization
The campaign focused on the mobilization of young voters.
Community mobilization was key to the project's success.
Social media played a big role in the mobilization of protesters.
Word forms
| plural | mobilizations |
|---|
Common combinations
- general mobilization
- The country declared general mobilization during the crisis.
- troop mobilization
- Troop mobilization along the border raised tensions.
- mobilization effort
- The mobilization effort involved thousands of volunteers.
- mobilization of resources
- The mobilization of resources for disaster relief was swift.
Synonyms and how they differ
- deployment
- Often refers to moving forces into position after they are mobilized; mobilization is the earlier stage of preparing and organizing.
- rallying
- More informal and often implies bringing people together for support or encouragement, while mobilization is broader and more organized.
Opposites
Word family
- mobilize verb
- To organize or prepare people or resources for action.
- mobilized adjective
- Having been organized or prepared for action.
Commonly confused: mobilization or mobility?
mobilization vs mobility
Mobility means the ability to move or be moved, while mobilization is the act of organizing for action.
Practice
The rapid _____ of troops surprised the enemy.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs a noun after 'rapid', and 'mobilization' fits. 'Mobility' means ability to move, 'mobilize' is a verb, and 'mobilized' is a past tense verb or adjective.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mobilization”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.