formalize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make formal, especially for the sake of official or authorized acceptance.
to formalize an understanding by drawing up a legal contract.
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to give a definite form or shape to.
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to state or restate (the rules or implied rules of a grammar or the like) in symbolic form.
verb
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to be or make formal
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(tr) to make official or valid
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(tr) to give a definite shape or form to
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logic to extract the logical form of (an expression), to express in the symbols of some formal system
Other Word Forms
- formalization noun
- formalizer noun
- overformalize verb
- unformalized adjective
Etymology
Origin of formalize
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.
He may also consider paying those final bills out of his own pocket and reimbursing himself from the estate account once everything is formalized.
From MarketWatch
To get around this awkwardness, Winthrop et al. propagated the notion—formalized in the colony’s 1629 seal—that the Native Americans needed the new settlers for their own good.
Though the SEC can’t approve listings during the shutdown, companies can still file registration statements and wait until the listings are formalized automatically, according to recent guidance from the government.
McOsker said the move will allow the council to “formalize” some of the programs started during the emergency, while incorporating more transparency.
From Los Angeles Times
In 1914, it created formalized officer appraisals to determine who should be transferred, discharged or elevated—based on leadership, discipline, character and professional knowledge, among other things, instead of length of service or personal recommendations.
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.
