familiarize

American  

[fuh-mil-yuh-rahyz] / fəˈmɪl yəˌraɪz /

especially British, familiarise

verb (used with object)

familiarized, familiarizing

1. to make (onself or another person) well-acquainted or conversant with something.

   Synonyms:

   acquaint, accustom

2. to make (something) well-known; bring into common knowledge or use.

3. Archaic. to make familiar; establish (a person) in friendly intimacy.

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verb (used without object)

familiarized, familiarizing

1. Archaic. to associate in a familiar way.

familiarize British  

/ fəˈmɪljəˌraɪz /

verb

1. to make (oneself or someone else) familiar, as with a particular subject

2. to make (something) generally known or accepted

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Other Word Forms

• familiarization
  noun
• familiarizer
  noun
• refamiliarization
  noun
• refamiliarize
  verb (used with object)
• unfamiliarized
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of familiarize

First recorded in 1600–10; familiar + -ize

Explanation

To familiarize yourself with something is to learn about it or become comfortable with it. Once you familiarize yourself with the unusual spices, you'll probably find Indian food delicious. You can familiarize yourself with the alphabet and particular sounds of a language before you start learning to speak it, and you can also familiarize a young child with the rules before her first trip to an art museum. Originally, familiarize meant "to make well-known," from familiar, from the Latin familiaris, "familiar or intimate," and the verb-forming suffix -ize.

Example Sentences

There’s another great feeling that I’d like you to familiarize yourself with: the power of compounding with your Roth IRA.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 5, 2026

Greene’s goals are to familiarize herself with markets so she will be comfortable with investing once she graduates from college and starts working full time.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

We need to familiarize ourselves with every phase of that process so we can recognize it when it happens here.

From Salon • Oct. 14, 2025

Human interaction was kept to a minimum throughout the rehabilitation process to familiarize the cubs with natural hunting behaviors and habitat, said Angela Hernandez-Cusick, a wildlife supervisor at the center.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2025

I walked around to familiarize myself with my vicinity.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah

Related Words

• enlighten
• naturalize