localize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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to make or become local in attitude, behaviour, etc
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(tr) to restrict or confine (something) to a particular area or part
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(tr) to assign or ascribe to a particular region
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of localize
Explanation
To localize is to focus on a small, specific area. The newspaper in your city might localize half of their news coverage, concentrating on just your state. A doctor or dentist will localize pain treatment in certain cases, like when you get a novocaine shot in your gums before getting a cavity filled. Rather than a general painkiller affecting your whole body, this focuses only on the part of your mouth that's affected. You can also localize by adapting something to a specific location. A rural school might localize its schedule by opening later in the fall to allow students to help on family farms, for example.
Vocabulary lists containing localize
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.
Fragmentation compels banks and asset managers to localize balance sheets and hold excess capital, constraining cross-border intermediation and dampening growth.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
Netflix is already using generative AI to improve the quality of its title recommendations, localize show and film promotional materials globally and assist filmmakers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025
They acknowledge and make efforts to localize experiences for American fans.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2024
Digging deeper, she found that the tumor cells have a molecular imbalance: an increased amount of catalytic proteins exceeds the number of inhibitory ones that normally tamp down and localize the former.
From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2024
These the physician can localize more exactly by reason of this knowledge.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4 "Bradford, William" to "Brequigny, Louis" by Various
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.
