customize
Americanverb (used with object)
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:
Like most of China's offerings, it costs less and uses source code that programmers can customize.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Don’t skip dessert, either, and if you’re a coffee drinker, order the Lao coffee, served with condensed milk and a sugar cube on the side so you can customize the sweetness to your liking.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
With the new upgrade, users can now even customize the expressiveness or pace of Siri’s voice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
GM and other automakers are working to grow sales of parts that are used for repairs and to soup up and customize cars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 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
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
Kestenbaum uses Ikea for playrooms a lot, but customizes the pieces so the room doesn’t read Ikea.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
They also boast Pro features like Adaptive EQ, which customizes your audio experience, and an intuitive force sensor for media control.
From The Verge ● Oct. 18, 2021
The plant sometimes customizes guns with scratches and blemishes by painting American flags on them, she said.
From Washington Post
That’s a private customized investment approach designed to reduce losses during market downturns by combining investments in stocks with hedging tools such as options, futures and/or short-selling.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
The model can be customized through Thinking Machines’ first product, Tinker, a cloud-based fine-tuning tool for AI developers and researchers released last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Because the antenna is compact and lightweight, it can also be customized for different parts of the body, potentially improving patient comfort during imaging.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
The spots are customized for each ABC station market, emphasizing their commitment to local news coverage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
When I look behind me, I see my customized room decked out in variations of the Warcross logo.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
"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
On her tour with Chiaberta, Mary Louise designs her own store-branded makeup kit and chooses a Jellycat plush toy in the shape of a pancake, in addition to customizing a Barbie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025
Aaliyah Warren, 23, professional roller skater, model and performer: We love customizing our boots, so we get them graffitied and painted.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2025
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
Definitions 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.
