equalize
Americanverb (used with object)
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equalizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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equalized,
past participle, past
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equalizing
present participle
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to make equal.
to equalize tax burdens.
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to make uniform.
to equalize a rate of production.
verb
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(tr) to make equal or uniform; regularize
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(intr) (in sports) to reach the same score as one's opponent or opponents
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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equalizationnoun
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nonequalizationnoun
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unequalizeverb (used with object)
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nonequalizedadjective
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nonequalizingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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equalizesimple
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equalizessimple
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have equalizedperfect
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has equalizedperfect
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am equalizingprogressive
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are equalizingprogressive
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is equalizingprogressive
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have been equalizingperfect progressive
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has been equalizingperfect progressive
Past
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equalizedsimple
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had equalizedperfect
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was equalizingprogressive
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were equalizingprogressive
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had been equalizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of equalize
Explanation
To equalize is to make sure something is shared evenly or uniformly. You might try to equalize how much cake each party guest gets by slicing it into identical pieces. When you equalize, you're attempting to make things equal, a word with a Latin root that means "even, fair, or equitable." This can be done on a small scale, like when parents feel they have to buy an additional gift for one of their children in order to equalize everyone's Christmas presents. It's also done on a larger scale, with whole industries pushed to equalize pay for workers or cities to equalize educational opportunities for kids.
Vocabulary lists containing equalize
Scrabble: High Scoring Words
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A Soccer and a Football Special
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20 Common Words That Will Boost Your Scrabble Score
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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:
Assigning the Roth account to a child in a high tax bracket and the traditional account to one in a lower bracket can help equalize after-tax values.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
To equalize inheritance later, you can simply adjust the distribution in your will or trust, reducing your son and daughter’s shares by the amount you have gifted each.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 7, 2025
He said his group has advocated for Newsom to declare a statewide emergency, which would help equalize the response statewide and allow for mutual aid agreements between wealthier and poorer areas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2025
“In order to equalize its share versus the USD, the gold price would need to rise to USD 5,790/oz assuming no change in the quantity of gold holdings,” Hsueh wrote.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2025
Only scythes can equalize that, but everyone knows the chance of being gleaned in this, or even the next, millennium is so low as to be ignored.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
“This rule, at least to a certain degree, equalizes the workforce that way,’’ says Amanda Sonneborn, an employment lawyer at King & Spalding.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 5, 2021
The first equalizes the bad luck we’re born with; the second, the bad luck that finds us as adults.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 6, 2020
Fresh flour is considered “unstable,” Hutchison explained, and oxidation equalizes it and makes it more stable and consistent.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 10, 2016
It equalizes at 760 mm Hg but does not remain at 760 mm Hg.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
“I like the way it equalizes everyone, you know? Most competitions are only for one thing, but in America's Got Talent, you can do anything. Be anything.”
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
It’s a cost gap barely equalized by the current 50% aluminum tariff.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Unfortunately for the South African team that night, Rafa Márquez equalized for El Tri with 11 minutes remaining during what turned out to be a disappointing World Cup for the host nation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
With 11 minutes of regulation remaining, Bosnia and Herzegovina equalized to force extra time, then penalties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 1, 2026
Seattle equalized at 3-3 on a goal by Jordan Morris in the 88th minute set up by Cristian Roldan from Albert Rusnak's corner kick.
From Barron's ● Nov. 9, 2025
As soon as it equalized, I threw off my helmet.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
In Game 1, Staal scored one of the equalizing goals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
“A life-insurance policy can be specifically purchased to provide a cash payout to the non-business child, effectively equalizing their inheritance without burdening the business or the child taking it over,” it says.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 6, 2026
Whether or not Altman is a true believer in A.I.’s equalizing powers, he’s talking his book.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2026
It is also, in some ways, an equalizing force.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2025
“My thought was that if you know how to keep tissue alive there must be some way of equalizing the reserve supply to the area of the throat and face.”
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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.
