memorize

American  

[mem-uh-rahyz] / ˈmɛm əˌraɪz /

especially British, memorise

verb (used with object)

memorized, memorizing

1. to commit to memory; learn by heart.

   to memorize a poem.

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verb (used without object)

memorized, memorizing

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

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

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

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

A simple place to start would be to memorize the best two-word speech to never appear in a major motion picture: Do better.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Under the current system, catchers and pitchers are expected to memorize those numbers and then recall them perfectly in the heat of competition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

"They just memorize, and they can give you some insight, but they don't understand what they're talking about."

From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026

“I also want you to memorize my number,” she says.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy