optimize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make as effective, perfect, or useful as possible.
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to make the best of.
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Computers. to write or rewrite (the instructions in a program) so as to maximize efficiency and speed in retrieval, storage, or execution.
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Mathematics. to determine the maximum or minimum values of (a specified function that is subject to certain constraints).
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to take the full advantage of
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(tr) to plan or carry out (an economic activity) with maximum efficiency
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(intr) to be optimistic
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(tr) to write or modify (a computer program) to achieve maximum efficiency in storage capacity, time, cost, etc
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(tr) to find the best compromise among several often conflicting requirements, as in engineering design
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have optimizedperfect
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has optimizedperfect 3rd person singular
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is optimizingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am optimizingprogressive 1st person singular
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are optimizingprogressive
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optimizingparticiple
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optimizessingular 3rd person
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have been optimizingperfect progressive
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has been optimizingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had optimizedperfect
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was optimizingprogressive singular
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had been optimizingperfect progressive
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optimizedsimple
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were optimizingprogressive plural
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optimizedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of optimize
Explanation
Optimize means to make the best possible use of something. If you optimize your home storage capacity, you clean and organize your closets and drawers to be able to fit the most in. Before the advent of the Internet, the word optimize was mostly used to describe the act of being really positive about the world, or being an optimist. But today one can scarcely hear the word without thinking about how to optimize a website or make it as efficient as possible. SEO, standing for "search engine optimization," refers to this process of optimizing a website to make it appear more frequently in web searches.
Vocabulary lists containing optimize
Engineering - Introductory
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Engineering: Defining Problems and Designing Solutions - Introductory
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Mathematical Modeling
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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.
Google says it can harness technology to optimize a concept that’s been around for decades, but hasn’t been successfully scaled with mosquitoes to rein in disease.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2026
For years, he’s relied on an agronomist — a scientist who helps optimize crop production and soil management — who comes around in December to test the soil on each field of his farm.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 2, 2026
The researchers used computer simulations to optimize important structural features, including gap dimensions and the spacing between repeating units.
From Science Daily • May 31, 2026
If you want to optimize your savings even more, sign up for the restaurant’s loyalty program.
From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026
The university had a reputation for spawning world-class scientists exploring how to optimize use of technology in airplanes and in the military, in the tradition of Broadbent and Dr. Treisman.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
