formalize
Americanverb (used with object)
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formalizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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formalized,
past participle, past
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formalizing
present participle
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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formalizesimple
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formalizessimple
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have formalizedperfect
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has formalizedperfect
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am formalizingprogressive
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are formalizingprogressive
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is formalizingprogressive
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have been formalizingperfect progressive
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has been formalizingperfect progressive
Past
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formalizedsimple
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had formalizedperfect
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was formalizingprogressive
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were formalizingprogressive
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had been formalizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of formalize
Explanation
To formalize something is to give it an official kind of status, like when you formalize an agreement by signing a contract. Two people can formalize their love and commitment to each other by getting married, and your grandparents can formalize their plan to leave their money to a certain charity by writing a will. In fact, one good way to formalize almost anything is to draw up a legal document. This verb comes from formal and its root that means "a shape or a form."
Vocabulary lists containing formalize
Content Summary 2.3: Greek and Hellenistic States in the Classical Mediterranean
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The Classical Period, c. 600 BCE to c. 600 CE
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The Postclassical Period, c. 600 CE to c. 1450
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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:
The time may have arrived, judging at least from your letter, to formalize the roles family members and employees have in his life, and that comes with accountability.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
The broadside came on the eve of a vote in Ukraine’s parliament to formalize the appointment of Yevhenii Khmara as new defense minister, a move Fedorov opposed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Their results, presented at a visualization science conference, formalize Schrödinger's model of color and show that these familiar color qualities are built into the structure of color perception itself.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 7, 2026
The mechanism, as described by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, would help formalize and identify what goods the United States should export to and import from China.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
He promised he’d formalize the relationship when the time was right.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
New research from the Boston Fed formalizes this intuition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
By eliminating the so-called year-in-residence for transfers, the council’s recommendation formalizes academic eligibility requirements, including progression toward a degree.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 17, 2024
To maintain the benefits of harvesting wild foods, we should take a One Health approach that formalizes the links between medicine and the environment.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2023
The order, which formalizes the bank's previously announced plans, prohibits the bank from distributing capital or dissipating cash assets without regulatory approval.
From Reuters ● Jun. 1, 2023
It widens the scope of history, and more precisely formalizes its functions.
From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science Volume 17, No. 097, January, 1876 by Various
There may have been growing competition over resources, control of movement, and more formalized leadership structures.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
“But he never formalized it as a therapy treatment. Nobody has. Now it’s taking off, it’s definitely rising.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Rahm’s departure, formalized last week, struck a huge blow to LIV as it scrambles to restructure under a new model in which players will own a majority of the league.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
From the moment the command center had been established at the Rose Bowl, “evacuation operations were not formalized within the incident organization,” according to the report, even as some on-the-ground believed it had been.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Band organization is often described as “egalitarian”: there is no formalized social stratification into upper and lower classes, no formalized or hereditary leadership, and no formalized monopolies of information and decision making.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Mario Carneiro, a younger man who sometimes clashes with Mr. de Moura, possesses an unquenchable passion for formalizing proofs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Abreu lobbied to make El Sistema part of the Venezuelan government, formalizing music education as a human right.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Of note, China has been formalizing a retaliatory option.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
The White House is considering a cybersecurity-focused executive order that could include formalizing a government oversight group to create standards for the most powerful AI models, such as Mythos, people familiar with the discussions said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 4, 2026
Dangers of formalizing methods of instruction In all of the above discussion it should be clearly remembered that no single plan or no one particular method has the final word or ever will have.
From College Teaching Studies in Methods of Teaching in the College by Paul Klapper
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