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Definition of mobile

mobile

/ˈmoʊ.bəl/
mo · bile

Plural:mobiles
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mobile Lexical Profile

mobile Game Scores & Validity

• adjective

1

Able to move or be moved freely, easily, or quickly from one place to another.

Example

"The hospital deployed a mobile medical unit to serve rural communities."


2

Relating to or using wireless portable communication devices, such as cellular telephones or tablet computers.

Example

"Most customers now prefer to manage their bank accounts through a mobile application."


3

Having the opportunity or ability to move between different social or economic classes.

Example

"Expanded access to higher education helped create a more socially mobile workforce."


4

Changing expression readily and fluidly in response to different thoughts or emotions (especially of the face or facial features).

Example

"The stage actor had a remarkably mobile face that conveyed subtle shifts in mood."

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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• noun

1

British A portable wireless telephone that connects to a cellular network; a mobile phone.

Example

"Please switch off your mobile before the concert begins."


2

A decorative structure or kinetic sculpture suspended from wires or rods so that its balanced parts move freely in currents of air, often hung over an infant's crib.

Example

"A colorful wooden mobile painted with stars and moons hung above the baby's crib."


3

American A major Gulf Coast port city in southwestern Alabama, United States, situated at the head of Mobile Bay.

Synonyms
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Antonyms
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Word Nuance & Usage

Pronunciation varies by region and meaning: as an adjective, it is typically pronounced /ˈmoʊ.bəl/ in American English and /ˈməʊ.baɪl/ in British English, whereas the hanging sculpture noun is often pronounced /ˈmoʊ.biːl/ in American English and the Alabama port city is pronounced /moʊˈbiːl/.

• Rhymes for mobile

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed in the late 15th century from Middle French mobile, from Latin mobilis ('movable, pliable, flexible'), a contraction of *movibilis, derived from movere ('to move'). The kinetic sculpture sense was coined by Marcel Duchamp in 1931 to describe the suspended artworks of Alexander Calder.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020

Cite this Entry


Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Mobile. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/mobile
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