mobile
mobile — adjective
1. physically able to walk or get around unaided, especially after recovering from
physically able to walk or get around unaided, especially after recovering from illness or injury
Jisoo broke her ankle last month but she is mobile again now.
The hospital ward has equipment that helps elderly patients stay mobile.
stay + mobile (collocation for maintaining ability to move)
After the surgery, Kemi was told to remain mobile to prevent blood clots.
A light wheelchair can make a big difference for someone who is partially mobile.
- stay mobile
- remain mobile
- mobile patient
- fully mobile
- ambulatory
formal, mostly medical context (e.g. ambulatory patients)
- active
broader — includes exercise and daily activity, not just the ability to move
Common Mistakes
2. made so that it can be relocated to a different spot without much effort, rather
made so that it can be relocated to a different spot without much effort, rather than being attached permanently
Vivek set up a mobile kitchen inside his van to sell food at weekend markets.
The school uses a mobile library bus that visits different villages each week.
mobile + noun for a movable version of something
Darius parked his mobile home near the lake for the summer holidays.
The army set up a mobile hospital close to the frontline.
- mobile home
- mobile library
- mobile clinic
- mobile classroom
- mobile kitchen
- fixed
permanently attached in one place
- stationary
not moving or not intended to move
Usage Note
Commonly used before a noun to describe a movable version of a building or facility, such as mobile home, mobile clinic, or mobile classroom.
Common Mistakes
3. able to move between different social classes, jobs, or places of living over th
able to move between different social classes, jobs, or places of living over the course of your life
Better education gives young people from poor families a more mobile future.
Anong was highly mobile — she went from cleaner to hotel manager.
Societies with strong public universities tend to be more socially mobile.
socially mobile (common collocation for social class change)
Yael moved to three different countries for work in five years, a very mobile lifestyle.
Élise's mobile career took her from teaching into journalism and then politics.
- socially mobile
- upwardly mobile
- mobile workforce
- mobile population
- upwardly mobile
specifically moving to a higher social class
- geographically mobile
moving between locations rather than social classes
Usage Note
Often paired with 'socially' or 'upwardly' to specify the direction or type of mobility. Subject is usually a person, group, or society.
Common Mistakes
4. relating to smartphones, tablets, and other small portable computing devices, es
relating to smartphones, tablets, and other small portable computing devices, especially services or content designed for use on them
Owen checked his bank balance using the mobile app on his phone.
This website works poorly on a mobile device because the buttons are too small.
mobile device (standard term for phone/tablet)
Christopher's company launched a mobile payment system for small shops.
Amani spends about three hours a day on mobile games and social media.
- mobile phone
- mobile app
- mobile device
- mobile payment
- mobile game
- mobile network
Usage Note
Commonly used before nouns such as app, device, game, payment, website, and technology. This sense is now the most frequent use of 'mobile' in everyday English.
the Mobile River
idioma river about 61 kilometres long in southwestern Alabama, USA, formed where the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers meet
The Mobile River flows into Mobile Bay on the Gulf of Mexico.
Mobile
idioma port city in southwestern Alabama, USA, located where the Mobile River meets Mobile Bay
Mobile is one of the oldest cities on the Gulf Coast of the United States.
mobile — noun
1. a telephone that you can carry with you and use anywhere, connecting wirelessly
a telephone that you can carry with you and use anywhere, connecting wirelessly to a network
Joaquín left his mobile on the bus and called it from a friend's phone.
The teacher asked students to turn off their mobiles during the exam.
Eshe's mobile buzzed with a message from her sister just as dinner started.
Many people now use their mobile as their main camera and music player.
mobile (noun) as a shortened form of mobile phone
- on my mobile
- mobile battery
- mobile signal
- answer the mobile
- mobile network
- cell phone
American English equivalent
- smartphone
a mobile phone with internet and app capabilities
- landline
a phone connected by a wire to a fixed socket
Usage Note
Short for 'mobile phone'. This is the standard term in British English; American English prefers 'cell phone' or 'cell'. Frequently used without an article in plural: 'people are always on their mobiles'.
Common Mistakes
2. the telephone number of someone's mobile phone
the telephone number of someone's mobile phone
Can you give me your mobile so I can text you the address?
I saved Anong's mobile in my phone under 'Work Contacts'.
The form asked for both a landline and a mobile.
mobile (short for mobile number, common in UK English)
Joaquín left a voicemail on my mobile while I was in a meeting.
- give me your mobile
- save a mobile
- call someone's mobile
- cell number
American English equivalent
Usage Note
In informal British English, 'mobile' alone can refer to the number rather than the device: 'What's your mobile?' means 'What's your mobile number?' This can cause confusion with sense 1 above.
3. a sculpture or decoration made of several parts that hang from threads or wires
a sculpture or decoration made of several parts that hang from threads or wires and move gently in currents of air
The museum gift shop sold a small metal mobile shaped like birds in flight.
A colourful mobile hung above the baby's cot, slowly turning in the breeze.
collocation: hang above / turn in the breeze (typical mobile movement)
Darius made a mobile out of seashells and driftwood to hang on the porch.
Jisoo bought a colourful mobile from the art fair and hung it in her studio.
- hang a mobile
- baby mobile
- metal mobile
- Calder mobile
- kinetic sculpture
any sculpture that moves; a mobile is a specific type
Usage Note
Unrelated to phone or movement senses — this is an art term popularised by the sculptor Alexander Calder. Often found in nurseries or as modern art installations.
4. used as a combining form (-mobile) meaning a motorised vehicle of a particular t
used as a combining form (-mobile) meaning a motorised vehicle of a particular type or purpose
The town library runs a bookmobile that visits six different neighbourhoods every week.
combining form: book + mobile = vehicle carrying books
A bloodmobile parks outside the hospital every Tuesday to collect donations.
The automobile changed how people travel across long distances.
Vivek's snowmobile broke down halfway across the frozen lake.
- bookmobile
- bloodmobile
- automobile
Usage Note
This is a combining form (suffix) rather than an independent noun. Attached to another word to describe a vehicle serving a specific purpose. The most common example is 'automobile'. Not productive in modern English — new formations are rare.
5. a combining form (-mobile) used in the name of a vehicle that brings a public se
a combining form (-mobile) used in the name of a vehicle that brings a public service directly to people
A dentalmobile visits primary schools to offer free check-ups to children.
combining form: dental + mobile = mobile dental service
The city launched a petmobile that provides vaccinations for dogs and cats in low-income areas.
A healthmobile visited the mountain village to offer free blood pressure checks.
The veterinary association runs a petmobile that travels to rural farms.
- dentalmobile
- petmobile
- healthmobile
Usage Note
Very similar to sense 4. The distinction is that this sense emphasises the service-to-the-public aspect rather than simply being motorised. Both senses are rare in everyday English and mostly seen in official or promotional names.
Word family
- mobilitynounB2
- immobileadjectiveC1
- immobilitynounC1
- mobilizeverbB2
- mobilizationnounC1
- automobilenounB1
- motileadjectiveC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
'Mobile' focuses on the ability to move or walk freely, especially after illness or injury. 'Active' is much broader — it includes exercise, work, and daily engagement (e.g., 'an active 80-year-old who swims daily'). 'Ambulatory' is a formal medical term used mainly in hospital settings to describe patients who can walk (e.g., 'ambulatory surgery requires no overnight stay'). 'On the move' is an informal phrase suggesting constant travel or change of location, not physical capability. For a learner: use 'mobile' when discussing physical recovery, 'active' for general energy and participation, and 'on the move' for travel or busy schedules.
Common collocations
Etymology
From Latin 'mobilis' meaning 'easy to move, movable', from 'movere' (to move). Entered English in the 15th century via French 'mobile'. The noun sense for a hanging sculpture was popularised by the American artist Alexander Calder in the 1930s. The technological sense (mobile phone, mobile device) emerged in the late 20th century as wireless communication became portable.