energize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
energizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
energized,
past participle, past
-
energizing
present participle
-
to give energy to; rouse into activity.
to energize the spirit with brave words.
-
to supply electrical current to or store electrical energy in.
verb (used without object)
-
energizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
energized,
past participle, past
-
energizing
present participle
verb
-
to have or cause to have energy; invigorate
-
(tr) to apply a source of electric current or electromotive force to (a circuit, field winding, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
energizesimple
-
energizessimple
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have energizedperfect
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has energizedperfect
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am energizingprogressive
-
are energizingprogressive
-
is energizingprogressive
-
have been energizingperfect progressive
-
has been energizingperfect progressive
Past
-
energizedsimple
-
had energizedperfect
-
was energizingprogressive
-
were energizingprogressive
-
had been energizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of energize
Explanation
Energize means to raise the energy level of something. If your really boring teacher suddenly starts throwing M&Ms to every student with a correct answer, he will energize the classroom. Ever seen the Energizer Bunny––the one who "keeps going and going and going?" It's because he's energized by long-lasting batteries that he has the energy to beat that drum over and over. Someone who's feeling low on energy might be reenergized by a cat nap or a candy bar.
Vocabulary lists containing energize
"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 11
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"CLEP Principles of Management," Vocabulary from Chapter 12
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"The MGMT Solution," Vocabulary from Chapter 13
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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:
“Very similarly to how the music industry runs on the enthusiasm of fans and their attention, politicians actually have to compete and energize voters around their visions and their policies,” she added.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
"I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time," James posted on X.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Unlike recent contests to lead the nation’s most populous state, this year’s gubernatorial contest failed to energize the electorate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
But most analysts believe that relief the war is over can further energize risk appetite.
From MarketWatch ● May 29, 2026
The challenge then becomes timing the electrical impulses so they energize the gap at the very moment the particles cross, which means generating them from an oscillator working at a fixed frequency.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Another issue that energizes Ms. Dhillon is “aggressive police consent decrees”—legally binding settlements between the Justice Department and local police departments that compel the latter to pursue or avoid certain practices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
The sparking dynamic between leads Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim, both making their feature debut, energizes the movie, while Bradley Cooper’s gonzo take on producer Jon Peters nearly justifies the entire endeavor on its own.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2025
Soderbergh’s sleek direction pours over the viewer like smooth espresso and energizes just as much too.
From Salon ● Mar. 14, 2025
The common auroras are produced when the solar wind energizes particles in Earth's magnetosphere, often at altitudes higher than 1,000 kilometers above the surface.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 8, 2023
The song ends, I catch my breath, and I breathe in everyone’s roaring applause, I breathe in their love, and it energizes me to grab Rufus’s hand while he’s bowing.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
But Trautman was, Ms. Manning suggests, energized by his belief that servicemen would value reading as highly as he did.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
But even then, the film feels energized by its bold mixture of pulp pleasures and weighty musings, operating with a bruising efficiency that Ali’s skilled assassin would no doubt respect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
“Everyone felt energized by that. We can’t change the past, but we need to acknowledge what happened in order not to repeat it in the future.”
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
Instead of being powered by the nuclear fusion that fuels ordinary stars, the object may consist of an extremely dense cloud of gas energized by a black hole at its center.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
He seemed unusually, almost exaggeratedly, energized, and gave me an impetuous tickle from behind as he passed, which was out of character.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
And now, upbeat earnings results are energizing software investors.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
None of it came easily, but all of it has been energizing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
What they are is addictive, catchy, energizing and undeniable.
From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026
William Carlos Angulo’s choreography is unfailingly kinetic, but participating in a party is more energizing than watching one at a remove.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
His technique was to expose a variety of chemical compounds to energizing sunlight.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
