materialize
Americanverb (used without object)
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materializes,
present (3rd person singular)
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materialized,
past participle, past
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materializing
present participle
verb (used with object)
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materializes,
present (3rd person singular)
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materialized,
past participle, past
-
materializing
present participle
-
to give material form to; realize.
This year, she materialized her long-held ambition to go to law school.
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to invest with material attributes.
The writer materializes the more abstract ideas with metaphors, making the concepts easier to grasp.
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to make physically perceptible; cause (a spirit or the like) to appear in bodily form.
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to render materialistic.
verb
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(intr) to become fact; actually happen
our hopes never materialized
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to invest or become invested with a physical shape or form
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to cause (a spirit, as of a dead person) to appear in material form or (of a spirit) to appear in such form
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(intr) to take shape; become tangible
after hours of discussion, the project finally began to materialize
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physics to form (material particles) from energy, as in pair production
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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materializesimple
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materializessimple
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have materializedperfect
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has materializedperfect
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am materializingprogressive
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are materializingprogressive
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is materializingprogressive
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have been materializingperfect progressive
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has been materializingperfect progressive
Past
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materializedsimple
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had materializedperfect
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was materializingprogressive
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were materializingprogressive
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had been materializingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of materialize
Explanation
When you materialize, you show up suddenly after being missing, unborn, or unseen. Think of Harry Potter removing his invisibility cloak. He materializes. Living things aren't the only things that materialize. Car keys and reading glasses materialize when you've been searching for them for a while and then they are suddenly there on the table. If you're lucky an unexpected business deal will materialize. Like material, the word is related to the Latin word meaning "matter." Matter, is, of course, all the stuff of this earth, anything and everything that takes form. So to materialize is to take form.
Vocabulary lists containing materialize
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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The Lightning Thief
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 3
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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:
It also said that revenue it had expected from weapons and ammunition wouldn’t materialize in the fourth quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
However, he thinks returns would accrue for investors as cost savings materialize over the long run.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
Whether severe storms will materialize this winter remains an unanswered question.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Once again, that prosperity has failed to materialize.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
And in the very same way the Spirit long ago became manifest in the Body of Christ, the first cabbage rose began to materialize on my tablecloth.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
If the deal materializes and goes through, it would be “one of the biggest deals in tech,” he said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026
A bright blue first-place ribbon materializes and becomes the perfect accessory.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Even those whose families migrated here seeking a “better life” can speak to how uneven the American dream materializes across class, race and country of origin.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
For the full year, Wall Street projects SLB to grow annual sales about 2%, an outlook that could prove to be conservative if the postconflict scenario materializes sooner rather than later.
From Barron's ● May 28, 2026
Moments later, Keenan materializes out of the fog.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Less than two years later, Villareal said the promise of her vote never materialized.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
The idea, which was met with fierce opposition from banks, hasn’t materialized.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026
Han materialized again to bid us adieu: “Come back at 4 a.m. next time! You’ll enjoy it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Pelinka mentioned the possibility of consolidation trades to reach the maximum number, but no transactions have materialized, especially with the Lakers trying to cling to their limited draft assets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
After some initial confusion over how a sheep had suddenly materialized in the observatory, the children jostled for turns to look through the lens at the unsuspecting creature.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
German headcount reduction targets don’t appear to be materializing, while a production shift to low-cost countries is unlikely to accelerate until 2030.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
He doesn’t see “imminent” danger of any of the three risks he flagged materializing, which is why he’s staying bullish and “tactically positive on risk assets” — for now.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
The same-store sales streak and the new customers are a signal that the brand’s turnaround is materializing, Jefferies analyst Corey Tarlowe said in a note on Tuesday.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
The bond-market worry about rising prices is materializing on construction sites and on the shelves of home-improvement centers and hardware stores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
The Assassin stepped forward, materializing from the tree line as if out of thin air.
From "The Reader" by Traci Chee
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
