customize

American

[kuhs-tuh-mahyz] / ˈkʌs təˌmaɪz /

especially British, customise

verb (used with object)

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

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of customize

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

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.

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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ize

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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.

With the new upgrade, users can now even customize the expressiveness or pace of Siri’s voice.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

A robust market for home sales typically drives more spending on home improvement costs as owners prepare to list or new owners customize.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

Problems emerge the moment the use of AI moves from using information to customize the use of index funds and into market prediction and stock picking.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 1, 2026

This differs from many existing immunotherapies, which often require doctors to collect and customize each patient's own immune cells before treatment.

From Science Daily • May 25, 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