English Dictionary |
DESTABILISE
Pronunciation (US): | ![]() | (GB): | ![]() |
Dictionary entry overview: What does destabilise mean?
• DESTABILISE (verb)
The verb DESTABILISE has 2 senses:
Familiarity information: DESTABILISE used as a verb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
Conjugation: |
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Past simple: destabilised
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Past participle: destabilised
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-ing form: destabilising
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Sense 1
Meaning:
Become unstable
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
destabilise; destabilize
Context example:
The economy destabilized rapidly
Hypernyms (to "destabilise" is one way to...):
change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Antonym:
stabilize (become stable or more stable)
Derivation:
destabilisation (the action of destabilizing; making something less stable (especially of a government or country or economy))
Sense 2
Meaning:
Make unstable
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
destabilise; destabilize
Context example:
Terrorism destabilized the government
Hypernyms (to "destabilise" is one way to...):
alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Antonym:
stabilise (make stable and keep from fluctuating or put into an equilibrium)
Derivation:
destabilisation (the action of destabilizing; making something less stable (especially of a government or country or economy))
Context examples
What is not fully known is the extent to which surface water might destabilise an ice shelf, especially in warmer summers when more meltwater is produced.
(Surface lakes cause Antarctic ice shelves to ‘flex’, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Magnetism in two dimensions is almost against the laws of physics due to the destabilising effect of fluctuations, but in this material, it seems to be true.
(‘Magnetic graphene’ switches between insulator and conductor, University of Cambridge)
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