memorize

American  

[mem-uh-rahyz] / ˈmɛm əˌraɪz /

especially British, memorise

verb (used with object)

• memorizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• memorized,
  past participle,  past
• memorizing
  present participle

1. to commit to memory; learn by heart.

   to memorize a poem.

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verb (used without object)

• memorizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• memorized,
  past participle,  past
• memorizing
  present participle

1. to learn by heart.

   I've always been able to memorize easily.

memorize British  

/ ˈmɛməˌraɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to commit to memory; learn so as to remember

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• memorization
  noun
• memorizer
  noun
• rememorize
  verb (used with object)
• memorizable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• memorizing
  present
• memorized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• memorize
  simple
• memorizes
  simple
• have memorized
  perfect
• has memorized
  perfect
• am memorizing
  progressive
• are memorizing
  progressive
• is memorizing
  progressive
• have been memorizing
  perfect progressive
• has been memorizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• memorized
  simple
• had memorized
  perfect
• was memorizing
  progressive
• were memorizing
  progressive
• had been memorizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will memorize
  simple
• will have memorized
  perfect
• will be memorizing
  progressive
• will have been memorizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of memorize

First recorded in 1585–95; memor(y) + -ize

Explanation

If you memorize something you know it by heart. When you were a little kid, you were probably asked to memorize “The Pledge of Allegiance,” meaning you could recite it from memory with no cheat sheets. To memorize something is to get it into your memory, but it usually implies you’re learning something more complex than a new acquaintance’s name or the time of your next dentist appointment. People typically memorize things like multiplication tables, the periodic chart, Shakespearian quotes, lines for the community theater play, and their nine hundred different online passwords. There are many systems that people use for memorization: flash cards, association, color coding, and even sleeping with the book under their pillow.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

memorize memorizes memorized memorizing

They were going to do everything possible to help her memorize it and record it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

And because the storyline called for employees who already knew one another, actors had to memorize years of shared backstory in case Norman asked about their history.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

The students who come from the neighborhoods she serves have to make do with schools that don’t instill curiosity but simply demand that they memorize things and sit still.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

To support that goal, the researchers have released some questions publicly while keeping the majority hidden so that AI models cannot simply memorize the answers.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2026

When the taxi had had no passengers, Fadi had helped his father memorize the stack of maps kept in the car’s glove compartment.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Although many friends love Wordle and crossword puzzles, Viorst memorizes poems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025

See that stuff, memorizing that — who memorizes who played this in a movie?

From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2024

It’s why he rarely uses notes in his public appearances and memorizes vast amounts of facts and figures.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 7, 2023

Later, as a student in Oxford, Jeanie memorizes a line from Flannery O’Connor: “Anybody who has survived his childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2022

She reads the first half of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea so many times, she practically memorizes it.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

But AI wasn’t allowed for quizzes or exams testing memorized subjects, said the 22-year-old, who majored in business computer information systems.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

“I memorized every single vehicle in those videos,” he said, a note of pride in his voice as he double-clicked on a file and pointed at the Voxy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2026

This refers to the ability to apply learned skills beyond the exact situations encountered during training, using general rules rather than memorized examples.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 28, 2026

But now, Hummel is like a chef who has memorized a complicated recipe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026

I felt certain if I memorized that book I could marry the Prince of Wales—or at least a railroad president.”

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

OK cool, but I’m not memorizing a dozen names.

From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2026

The researchers compared this to a student who scores well by memorizing test formats without actually understanding the material.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 30, 2026

Deeper analysis showed ravens were in fact revisiting spots where wolves commonly took down prey -- animals like deer, elk or bison -- suggesting the birds were creating and memorizing a "resource landscape."

From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026

While kids in regular public schools put in their numbing hours, students in spreading networks of classical charters get meaty reading assignments—myths, fairy tales, great books—while also memorizing sonnets and elements of America’s founding documents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 16, 2026

Although this was likely an exaggeration, it’s clear that Bobby hated memorizing things that failed to engage his interest, and multiplication tables fell into that category.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady