To stabilize something means to make it steady, balanced, or less likely to change suddenly. When a wobbly table gets stabilized with a folded piece of paper under one leg, it stops rocking. When a nurse stabilizes an injured patient, she makes sure their condition isn't getting worse and brings their vital signs back to safe levels.

The word comes from stable, meaning firm and steady. You can stabilize a tower of blocks by adding a wider base. A ship uses stabilizers, special fins underwater, to keep from rolling too much in rough waves. Scientists might stabilize a chemical reaction to keep it from getting out of control.

Stabilizing often means taking action right when things start to tip or shift dangerously. When a bicycle rider begins to wobble, they stabilize themselves by adjusting their weight and steering. When the economy becomes unstable with wild price swings, governments might try to stabilize it through careful policy changes.

The opposite is destabilize, meaning to make something unsteady or throw it off balance. Someone who spreads rumors might destabilize friendships in a classroom. Once something stabilizes, it reaches a point where it can stay steady on its own.