synchronize

American  

[sing-kruh-nahyz] / ˈsɪŋ krəˌnaɪz /

especially British, synchronise

verb (used with object)

• synchronizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• synchronized,
  past participle,  past
• synchronizing
  present participle

1. to cause to indicate the same time, as one timepiece with another.

   Synchronize your watches.

2. to cause to go on, move, operate, work, etc., at the same rate and exactly together.

   They synchronized their steps and walked on together.

3. Movies, Television.

   1. to cause (sound and action) to match precisely.

      to synchronize the sound of footsteps with the actor's movements.

   2. to match the sound and action in (a scene).

4. to harmonize or bring into alignment.

   To be at peace with yourself you must synchronize your lifestyle with your values.

5. to cause (accounts or narratives) to agree in the timing and sequence of events, or to arrange (events) in a way that shows their occurrence in the same time or period.

   The early church fathers did not attempt to synchronize the four gospels.

   This chart synchronizes inventions that occurred simultaneously in different parts of the world.

6. Computers. sync.

7. to adjust the periodicities of (two or more electrical or mechanical devices) so that the periods are equal or integral multiples or fractions of each other.

---

verb (used without object)

• synchronizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• synchronized,
  past participle,  past
• synchronizing
  present participle

1. to occur at the same time or coincide or agree in time.

2. to go on, move, operate, work, etc., at the same rate and exactly together; recur together.

3. Computers. sync.

synchronize British  

/ ˈsɪŋkrəˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to occur or recur or cause to occur or recur at the same time or in unison

2. to indicate or cause to indicate the same time

   synchronize your watches

3. to download files, esp music or video files, from a PC to a portable device such as an iPod, or to upload files from the device to a PC

4. (tr) films to establish (the picture and soundtrack records) in their correct relative position

5. (tr) to designate (events) as simultaneous

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• desynchronization
  noun
• synchronization
  noun
• synchronizer
  noun
• desynchronize
  verb (used with object)
• unsynchronized
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• synchronizing
  present
• synchronized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• synchronize
  simple
• synchronizes
  simple
• have synchronized
  perfect
• has synchronized
  perfect
• am synchronizing
  progressive
• are synchronizing
  progressive
• is synchronizing
  progressive
• have been synchronizing
  perfect progressive
• has been synchronizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• synchronized
  simple
• had synchronized
  perfect
• was synchronizing
  progressive
• were synchronizing
  progressive
• had been synchronizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will synchronize
  simple
• will have synchronized
  perfect
• will be synchronizing
  progressive
• will have been synchronizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of synchronize

First recorded in 1615–25; from Greek synchronízein “to be contemporary with”; from sýnchron(os) synchronous + -izein -ize

Explanation

When you synchronize things, you make them happen at the same time. If you have rhythm, you can synchronize your dance moves with the beat of the music. If not, stay off the dance floor. Synchronize, pronounced "SINK-ruh-nize," means "to make things happen at the same time" — even down to a fraction of a second, as in synchronized swimming. In that sport, one movement that doesn't sync, or match up, costs the swimmers points. When you synchronize your wristwatches, people can't blame their watches being fast or slow if they don't come to the meeting spot at the right time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

synchronize synchronizes synchronized synchronizing

Over time, tidal forces synchronize the planet's rotation with its orbit, causing one rotation to take the same amount of time as one trip around its star.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

A wave of teacher contracts is up for renegotiation now, thanks to a strategy the unions implemented a few years ago to synchronize expiration dates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

One powerful solution is to synchronize AI’s huge power needs with the public grid’s real-time stress level.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 10, 2025

In studies conducted by Yuko Hattori, an assistant professor at Kyoto University’s Primate Research Institute, chimpanzees were able to synchronize their movement to a variety of rhythms.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025

My father equipped us with flashlights, and I had to wear my watch and synchronize it with his.

From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

This system synchronizes cabin lighting, instruments and audio settings to one of five prefabricated “atmospheres,” including Lounge, Joy, Nature, Energetic, and Minimal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

It also helps drive the electric signal that synchronizes the contraction of the millions of heart muscle cells required for the heart to function as an efficient pump.

From Science Daily ● May 30, 2024

This clock synchronizes and coordinates our body’s circadian rhythms, which help us prepare for things that happen at various times of day — such as falling asleep at night and waking up in the morning.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 3, 2023

The identification synchronizes with the airline booking information and informs the officer that the bearer of the ID is a ticketed passenger and is eligible to proceed through security.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 1, 2022

Its history is intimately associated with that of the Printer’s Mark, and the progress of the one synchronizes up to a certain point with that of the other.

From Printers' Marks A Chapter in the History of Typography by W. (William) Roberts

That allows several police vehicles to broadcast a synchronized public safety announcement while flashing the same light-signal pattern.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Research has linked synchronized movement with social bonding and increased pain thresholds, while studies of dance and movement therapy have found benefits for depression, anxiety and interpersonal functioning.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Electric grids use precisely synchronized clocks to detect disturbances hundreds of times each second before they cascade into blackouts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

There are also synchronized motocross jumps in front of the White House, which feels like a 12-year-old’s doodle come to life.

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026

The motion was fluid, synchronized, as if they had practiced it.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Kaya de Barbaro, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, analyzed families with babies, synchronizing home audio recordings with the mothers’ smartphone use.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026

The big draw of space for data centers is power supply, with the option of synchronizing satellites to the sun's orbit to ensure constant light on solar panels.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2025

Another way, which has been studied more, is to see if they are capable of synchronizing to beats in a rhythm, Honing said.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025

"We have uncovered a surprising solution that the brain employs after sleep whereby neural populations participating in the task reduce their level of synchrony after sleep despite receiving synchronizing inputs during sleep itself," Dragoi said.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2024

Then, after synchronizing my wristwatch with the clock in the latrine, I walked down the long, wet cobblestone hill into town.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Related Words

• adjust
• harmonize
• integrate
• mesh