customize

American

[kuhs-tuh-mahyz] / ˈkʌs təˌmaɪz /

especially British, customise

verb (used with object)

customized, customizing

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

Other Word Forms

customizable adjective
customization noun
customizer noun
noncustomized adjective
semicustomized adjective

Etymology

Origin of customize

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

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.

All Slate trucks are identical when they roll off the factory line, but their owners can customize them later at their own expense.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Finally, consider setting up what I think of as a zhush station — a small collection of ingredients that allow guests to brighten and customize what’s on their plate.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

They could allow individual audience members to customize a movie, for example, by skipping scenes they don’t like, changing the audio or even choosing separate plot paths.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

“Businesses will be able to build and customize agents on the Intuit platform to support compliant workflows, regardless of their technical expertise,” the companies said in a release.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 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

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