itemize
Americanverb (used with object)
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itemizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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itemized,
past participle, past
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itemizing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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itemizes,
present (3rd person singular)
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itemized,
past participle, past
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itemizing
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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itemizationnoun
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itemizernoun
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nonitemizernoun
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reitemizeverb (used with object)
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misitemizedadjective
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nonitemizedadjective
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unitemizedadjective
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well-itemizedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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itemizesimple
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itemizessimple
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have itemizedperfect
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has itemizedperfect
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am itemizingprogressive
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are itemizingprogressive
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is itemizingprogressive
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have been itemizingperfect progressive
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has been itemizingperfect progressive
Past
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itemizedsimple
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had itemizedperfect
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was itemizingprogressive
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were itemizingprogressive
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had been itemizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of itemize
Explanation
To itemize is to make a list. If you work at a store that sells pet fish, you might need to itemize your stock of fish — separately listing the number of goldfish, cuttlefish, and jellyfish. When you place items, or individual things, on a list, you itemize them. Though itemize is essentially a synonym for list, it is usually used for more formal situations and those related to budget. So itemize your tax deductions or your spending report, or even itemize the reactions of your chemistry experiment. But to itemize your complaints about your little brother is probably going overboard.
Vocabulary lists containing itemize
Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Middle School
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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:
Chances are most of your guests will take the standard deduction rather than itemize those donations.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 11, 2026
Many people were aiming to get ahead of new rules in last summer’s tax law that limit tax breaks on charitable giving for high earners and those who itemize deductions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
This deduction applies whether or not you itemize.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
They are available both to taxpayers who take the standard deduction and those who itemize their deductions.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
When Uncle Al discovers that city officials have yet to itemize the Fox Brothers baggage stock, a handful of nondescript horses get spirited from one stable tent to another.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Further, regardless of whether one itemizes or uses the standard deduction, an additional $6,000 deduction is available to many taxpayers over 65.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
It identifies when we lift a product from a shelf, freezer or produce bin, automatically itemizes the goods and charges us when we leave the store.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2022
These dual conflicts with her parent and within herself often materialize in the text as surreal flights of passive aggression—she carefully itemizes offenses against her and then pointedly refuses to condemn them.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 6, 2018
The deduction is known as an “above-the-line” deduction because it reduces the amount of income subject to tax regardless of whether the taxpayer itemizes their deductions or chooses the standard deduction on their tax return.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2017
“My idea of her passport itemizes every feature you possess,” he said, laughing; “five feet seven; dark hair, brown eyes, regular features, small, well-shaped hands——” “Please—Captain West!”
From Special Messenger by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers
In addition to reducing or eliminating the enhanced senior deduction, higher gross income can trigger a Medicare premium increase, additional taxes, or a reduction in the itemized deduction for medical costs.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
It found meaningful differences between the advertised price and the actual, itemized quotes for nearly 40% of dealers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The client gave up after Schwartz presented him with an itemized bill and suggested he direct his resources elsewhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
People itemize charitable gifts if their total allowable itemized deductions — including donations to qualified charities, mortgage interest, and state and local taxes — exceed the standard deduction.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 11, 2026
“Here’s an itemized schedule of deductions from the year Kennedy was assassinated. Go have it framed!”
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
The new deduction—$6,000 for individuals and $12,000 for couples filing jointly—can be used whether you are claiming the standard deduction or itemizing deductions, regardless of whether you are already taking Social Security payments.
From Barron's ● Apr. 25, 2026
I’ve found myself calculating the social risk, itemizing what would work in our favor.
From Slate ● Feb. 19, 2026
That could include income from several sources, multiple tax breaks and possible itemizing.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 20, 2026
Most filers save money by taking the standard deduction instead of itemizing deductions, which can include charitable donations and medical expenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2025
I first gave a general overview of my travels, itemizing the money we had received and the offers of training.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
