customize

American

[kuhs-tuh-mahyz] / ˈkʌs təˌmaɪz /

especially British, customise

verb (used with object)

to modify or build according to individual or personal specifications or preference.

to customize an automobile.

customize British

/ ˈkʌstəˌmaɪz /

verb

(tr) to modify (something) according to a customer's individual requirements

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Etymology

Origin of customize

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35; custom + -ize

Explanation

To customize something is to make it exactly how you want it. If you put stickers all over your plain old notebook, you customize it. If you see the word customer in customize, you’re onto something — to customize is to make something to a customer’s specifications. When clothes are customized — or tailored — they’re made with you in mind, specifically. A customized suit should fit perfectly. If you customize your car, it could be bright pink with eyelashes on the headlights. Or not.

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Vocabulary lists containing customize

Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ize

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"The hedge funds that attract the most capital and charge the highest fees are usually the managers with a long, successful track record," said David Bizer, managing director of investment firm Global Customised Wealth.

From Reuters • Jan. 6, 2023

Customised with beats and cackles of "Ah-haaaa!" it became her first American chart-topper.

From The Guardian • May 17, 2012

The marriage of capital and farmland can suit both parties, said Andrew Parkes, managing director of Customised Farm Management Pty, an agricultural consultancy formed in 2008 that’s helping Southern Agricultural Resources raise funds from U.S.,

From BusinessWeek • Jan. 30, 2012

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023