stabilizer
/ˈsteɪbəlaɪzə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsteɪbəlaɪzər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈstā-bə-ˌlī-zər/ (ame, mw)
stabilizer — noun
- stabilizersingular
- stabilizersplural
1. a part fitted to a plane, boat, or car that stops it from tipping or rolling fro
a part fitted to a plane, boat, or car that stops it from tipping or rolling from side to side and helps it stay level when moving.
Engineers added a tail stabilizer to the small aircraft after the first test flight.
compound: tail stabilizer
Ryo felt the cruise ship's stabilizers kick in when the waves grew rougher near Okinawa.
plural: stabilizers + kick in
The race car's rear stabilizer broke during the second lap of the final.
Modern yachts use electronic stabilizers that respond automatically to changes in the sea.
Without a working stabilizer, the helicopter would have rolled sideways during landing.
用法筆記
Often appears with a modifier naming the vehicle part (`tail`, `wing`, `rear`, `horizontal`) or vehicle type (`ship`, `aircraft`, `yacht`). Frequently plural when ships or boats are involved, because they are fitted in pairs.
常見錯誤
2. a chemical mixed into food, paint, plastic, or another product so its texture, c
a chemical mixed into food, paint, plastic, or another product so its texture, colour, or other qualities do not change over time.
Putri checked the yogurt label and saw that pectin was listed as a stabilizer.
noun phrase: listed as a stabilizer
Manufacturers add stabilizers to ice cream so the texture stays smooth in the freezer.
verb collocation: add stabilizers to [product]
The paint contains a UV stabilizer to keep the colour bright in direct sunlight.
Vikram studied which stabilizers food companies use in salad dressings.
Without a stabilizer, the cream separates from the oil within a few hours.
- preservative
narrower; specifically stops spoiling or microbial growth, not general state change
- emulsifier
narrower; only for keeping oil and water mixed; emulsifiers are one kind of stabilizer
用法筆記
Usually countable and often plural; collocates with `add (to)`, `contain`, `list as`. The modifier names what the chemical protects against (`UV stabilizer`, `heat stabilizer`) or the product family it belongs to (`food stabilizer`, `polymer stabilizer`).
3. one of a pair of small wheels attached beside the back wheel of a child's bicycl
one of a pair of small wheels attached beside the back wheel of a child's bicycle so it will not fall over while the child is learning to ride.
Ezra rode in circles around the park with the stabilizers still bolted to his bike.
plural default: stabilizers
Constanza asked her father to take the stabilizers off now that she could balance on her own.
verb collocation: take the stabilizers off
The shop fits stabilizers to every child's bike sold during the spring sale.
One of the stabilizers on Hamza's bike kept scraping the pavement at every corner.
Children in the UK usually start riding with stabilizers before learning on two wheels alone.
- training wheel
American English equivalent; usually plural training wheels
用法筆記
British English; American English uses `training wheels` for the same object. Almost always plural because the wheels come as a pair. Common verbs: `take off`, `remove`, `fit`, `put on`.
常見錯誤
4. a government rule or system designed to stop prices, output, or the wider econom
a government rule or system designed to stop prices, output, or the wider economy from changing too quickly in either direction.
The new rice subsidy works as a price stabilizer for farmers across Java.
frame: X works as a stabilizer
Critics argued that the central bank's bond programme was an automatic stabilizer for the wider economy.
compound: automatic stabilizer
Without strong stabilizers, the country's coffee prices swung wildly every harvest season.
Jabari's research compared agricultural stabilizers in Kenya and Brazil.
Unemployment benefits act as a stabilizer during a recession because spending does not collapse.
- destabilizer
direct opposite; a factor that makes prices or output swing more
用法筆記
Formal, economics register. Frequent compounds: `price stabilizer`, `automatic stabilizer`, `economic stabilizer`. The subject is typically a policy, programme, or institution rather than a person or object.