Synonyms

initialize

American

[ih-nish-uh-lahyz] / ɪˈnɪʃ əˌlaɪz /

especially British, initialise

verb (used with object)

Computers.

initialized, initializing

to set (variables, counters, switches, etc.) to their starting values at the beginning of a program or subprogram.
to clear (internal memory, a disk, etc.) of previous data in preparation for use.

initialize British

/ ɪˈnɪʃəˌlaɪz /

verb

(tr) to assign an initial value to (a variable or storage location) in a computer program

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

initialization noun

Etymology

Origin of initialize

First recorded in 1955–60; initial + -ize

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.

“Seasonal forecasts initialized in November seem to have some skill at least through January,” wrote Butler in an email.

From Seattle Times

“What’s exciting about taking over the program is you get to initialize the culture and what that’s going to look like.”

From Washington Post

“Typically, the data that is automatically transmitted first is events data that communicates to Facebook that the Facebook SDK has been initialized by transmitting data such as ‘App installed’ and ‘SDK Initialized’,” said Privacy International.

From Fox News

Interestingly enough, one of the predictions of the past few years is that climate change expands the region over which storms will be initialized.

From Nature

At that moment, when Mr. Dumas initialized the car, it started to wail, a crazy, antique police siren—whhaaAHHHahhh-WhhaaHHHahh.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023