Dictionary.com
definitions

memorize

[mem-uh-rahyz]
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR memorize ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), mem·o·rized, mem·o·riz·ing.

to commit to memory; learn by heart: to memorize a poem.

verb (used without object), mem·o·rized, mem·o·riz·ing.

to learn by heart: I've always been able to memorize easily.

RELATED CONTENT

Where Did The Word”Pi” Come From?
What is Pi Day? Pi Day is the March 14th holiday commemorating the mathematical constant π (pi), written numerically as 3.141592+, and pronounced “pie.” And yes: lots of people mark the occasion by eating pie because of course they do. Where is the word pi from? Pi is the Latin name of the sixteenth Greek letter, π. (Mathematic notation borrows from a multitude of alphabets and typefaces) The first recorded use …
READ MORE
Comparatives vs. Superlatives
The positive form of an adjective or adverb is the basic form listed in a dictionary, e.g.” “red,” “awful” (adjectives); “soon,” “quickly” (adverbs). Adjectives and adverbs can show degrees of quality or amount with the endings -er and -est or with the words more and most or less and least. The comparative form is the greater or lesser degree of the quality named, e.g., “redder,” “more/less awful,” “sooner,” “more/less quickly.” The superlative form is the greatest or least degree of …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

recall, retain, recollect, remind, master, know, learn, cram, store
Also especially British, mem·o·rise.

Origin of memorize

First recorded in 1585–95; memor(y) + -ize
Related formsmem·o·riz·a·ble, adjectivemem·o·ri·za·tion, nounmem·o·riz·er, nounre·mem·o·rize, verb (used with object), re·mem·o·rized, re·mem·o·riz·ing.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for memorize

Contemporary Examples of memorize

Historical Examples of memorize

British Dictionary definitions for memorize

memorize

memorise

verb

(tr) to commit to memory; learn so as to remember
Derived Formsmemorizable or memorisable, adjectivememorization or memorisation, nounmemorizer or memoriser, noun
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
Word Origin and History for memorize
v.

1590s, "commit to writing;" see memory + -ize. The meaning "commit to memory" is from 1838. Related: Memorized; memorizing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper