Synonyms

realize

American

[ree-uh-lahyz] / ˈri əˌlaɪz /

especially British, realise

verb (used with object)

to grasp or understand clearly.

Synonyms:

comprehend, conceive

Antonyms:

misunderstand
to make real; give reality to (a hope, fear, plan, etc.).

Synonyms:

effect, accomplish
to bring vividly to the mind.
to convert into cash or money.

to realize securities.
to obtain as a profit or income for oneself by trade, labor, or investment.
to bring as proceeds, as from a sale.

The goods realized $1000.
Music. to sight-read on a keyboard instrument or write out in notation the full harmony and ornamentation indicated by (a figured bass).
Linguistics. to serve as an instance, representation, or embodiment of (an abstract linguistic element or category).

In “Jack tripped,” the subject is realized by “Jack,” the predicate by “tripped,” and the past tense by “-ed.”

verb (used without object)

to convert property or goods into cash or money.

realize British

/ ˈrɪəˌlaɪz /

verb

(when tr, may take a clause as object) to become conscious or aware of (something)
(tr, often passive) to bring (a plan, ambition, etc) to fruition; make actual or concrete
(tr) to give (something, such as a drama or film) the appearance of reality
(tr) (of goods, property, etc) to sell for or make (a certain sum)

this table realized £800
(tr) to convert (property or goods) into cash
(tr)
1. to expand or complete (a thorough-bass part in a piece of baroque music) by supplying the harmonies indicated in the figured bass
2. to reconstruct (a composition) from an incomplete set of parts
to sound or utter (a phoneme or other speech sound) in actual speech; articulate

"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

Synonym Usage

See imagine.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of realize

First recorded in 1605–15; from French réaliser, Middle French, equivalent to real real ¹ + -iser -ize

Explanation

When you realize something, you become fully aware of what is happening, like when you realize all the people in your basement who are smiling at you and starting to sing to you are there because it's your birthday. Surprise! Realize usually describes the moment your thoughts click, like the moment you close the door behind you, you realize you don't have your keys. You are locked out! So you knock on your neighbor's door. You realize, here meaning that you are fully aware, that she might not appreciate having to help you because she's trying to leave for work. You tell her your new goal is to be more organized. She says, until you realize, or reach, that goal, you better hide an extra key somewhere in your yard.

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Vocabulary lists containing realize

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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.

See Examples For:

realize realizes realized realizing

Considering the market is always forward-looking, the move in these beaten-down asset classes will come long before most investors realize it.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

More CMOs are beginning to realize how much monikers can matter in a crowded marketplace, according to Barrett.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

It is one of those moments where you realize it, particularly because we were three men, but also inside of the canon of these superheroes, it’s always a dad.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

However, people also realize the foundation for bonds now looks different from four years ago, she said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026

‘Torak,’ she said, ‘you do realize that when we track Wolf, we’ll also be tracking the bear?’

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

“Maybe at first it felt Big Brotherish, but my mom realizes now that she needs to hand this over to me.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

It’s Juniper’s chance to establish herself as an adult actor and Kai’s first foray into the spotlight, a position he quickly realizes doesn’t come without a personal cost.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

“Every Republican I’m aware of realizes this year requires a full commitment, in terms of time, effort, resources,” Mackowack said.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

Equally shattering is a cue surging through a long scene bereft of dialogue, where Alex discovers a tampered-with wine bottle and realizes that he is married to a spy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

But he’s already doing me a bigger favor than he realizes.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

But businesses grappling with mounting costs as more employees experimented with artificial intelligence realized they didn’t always need the most advanced options for most tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Kearns realized along the way that his path to stardom wouldn’t be so simple.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

When the band finished with the album, I realized that because I had not paid attention, I had no idea what was next.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

"When I first saw the construction site at Rooppur, I realized how much work lay ahead on this project... honestly, Rooppur changed me and my life," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

He realized with a jolt that her eyes were not light-blue like her brother’s, but black: black as a peat pool.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

“Brands are really realizing that they can’t simply market off consumers anymore,” Graver said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Any coach who says “I don’t want to know” where a transfer lives to escape accountability might want to start realizing an entire program can go down when they abdicate responsibility.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

Praying for a rain delay, I found myself innings deep into “Team Moms: Baseball” before realizing that, like Bryce Harper looking at a ghost fork, I’d fallen victim to my own myopia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

He actually uses his reservations, but you can imagine people using agents to hoard tables, or the human user not realizing the agent booked a table and the restaurant being stuck with a no-show.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026

“Well, never mind,” she said, realizing her error.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

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