materialize

especially British, materialise

[muh-teer-ee-uh-lahyz]

verb (used without object)

materialized, materializing 

1. to come into perceptible existence; appear; become actual or real; be realized or carried out.

   Our plans never materialized.

   Synonyms: issue, rise, show, emerge

2. to assume material or bodily form; become corporeal.

   The ghost materialized before Hamlet.

verb (used with object)

materialized, materializing 

1. to give material form to; realize.

   This year, she materialized her long-held ambition to go to law school.

2. to invest with material attributes.

   The writer materializes the more abstract ideas with metaphors, making the concepts easier to grasp.

3. to make physically perceptible; cause (a spirit or the like) to appear in bodily form.

4. to render materialistic.

materialize

/ məˈtɪərɪəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (intr) to become fact; actually happen

   our hopes never materialized

2. to invest or become invested with a physical shape or form

3. to cause (a spirit, as of a dead person) to appear in material form or (of a spirit) to appear in such form

4. (intr) to take shape; become tangible

   after hours of discussion, the project finally began to materialize

5. physics to form (material particles) from energy, as in pair production

Other Word Forms

• materialization noun
• materializer noun
• rematerialize verb
• unmaterialized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of materialize¹

First recorded in 1700–10; material + -ize

Example Sentences

When Kristal’s vision for the club as a country music mecca didn’t materialize, he pivoted to the loud, abrasive sounds emerging from Bowery — even though the former Marine personally didn’t care for it.

From Los Angeles Times

The flood of aid that had come two years earlier for Paradise never materialized for Berry Creek.

From Los Angeles Times

The connection to the franchise was clear, as the recognizable theme song played, the original animation appeared and its signature blue and yellow text materialized.

From Los Angeles Times

That never materialized — and a lawsuit derailed Michael’s next few years.

From Salon

Protests mounted again, and the plans never materialized.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• appear 
• emerge 
• happen 
• occur 
• realize 
• take place 
• turn up 
• unfold