customize
Americanverb (used with object)
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customizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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customized,
past participle, past
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customizing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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customizationnoun
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customizernoun
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customizableadjective
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noncustomizedadjective
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semicustomizedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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customizesimple
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customizessimple
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have customizedperfect
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has customizedperfect
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am customizingprogressive
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are customizingprogressive
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is customizingprogressive
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have been customizingperfect progressive
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has been customizingperfect progressive
Past
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customizedsimple
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had customizedperfect
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was customizingprogressive
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were customizingprogressive
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had been customizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of customize
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.
Vocabulary lists containing customize
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.
See Examples For:
These little things also have cute avatars, which you can customize to your liking.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
One of the most promising aspects of the discovery is the ability to customize the coating for different purposes.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
At one with Burberry, guests could purchase and customize vintage trench coats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The beauty of Finch is that it actively deters you from an all-or-nothing mindset; you can customize your goals realistically to your lifestyle and needs.
From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026
“The default setting is typically ‘help,’ but you can customize as the situation allows.”
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
While Apple customizes many components inside iPhones, Khan said, “there isn’t a lot of customization” for memory, alluding to the possibility that commodity Chinese memory chips could be used.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Whenever she’s on the hunt for a new pair, her first stop is the Rose Bowl Flea Market where she finds Allyn Scura, a local vendor, who customizes vintage frames.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2025
This new testing method further advances precision medicine, which is a patient care approach that customizes treatments specifically for a person's genetics, environment and lifestyle.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 18, 2024
Elevate analyzes and tracks your improvement and customizes a training program just for you.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 2021
The plant sometimes customizes guns with scratches and blemishes by painting American flags on them, she said.
From Washington Post
Some people are getting prescriptions for peptides that come from compounded pharmacies, which make customized versions of medications that aren’t FDA approved.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The market for Palantir could also expand as the focus shifts toward customized software applications.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
While AI helps cut the cost of development, Borges noted that many businesses have a difficult time building tools customized for their clients, given the separation between data, workflows and eventual execution.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
JPMorgan Asset Management will oversee a customized portfolio of $15 billion invested across public equities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Ren’s room looks completely different from mine, like he had it customized to his satisfaction.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
The cycle of heartbreak is familiar to job seekers everywhere: They see an ad for a role with great pay and potential, spend time customizing a cover letter and resume, hit submit, and then…nothing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
It started with Aflalo customizing vintage clothing in the back of a store and selling it before transitioning to producing its own clothing using sustainable materials.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
"It avoids the complex process of customizing cells and uses readily available drugs to reversibly enhance NK cells' anti-tumor activities."
From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026
Vargo purchased her home in April 2025 for about $450,000, spending closer to $465,000 all in after customizing finishes like lighting, fixtures and hardware.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 24, 2026
Lena had been creating paint-by-numbers canvases for him, sketching them with expert speed, customizing each image to his specifications.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
