organize

American  

[awr-guh-nahyz] / ˈɔr gəˌnaɪz /

especially British, organise

verb (used with object)

organized, organizing

1. to form as or into a whole consisting of interdependent or coordinated parts, especially for united action.

   to organize a committee.

   Synonyms:

   frame, dispose

   Antonyms:

   destroy

2. to systematize.

   to organize the files of an office.

   Synonyms:

   order

3. to give organic structure or character to.

   Cells become differentiated and organized into tissues.

4. to enlist or attempt to enlist into a labor union.

   to organize workers.

5. to enlist the employees of (a company) into a labor union; unionize.

   to organize a factory.

6. Informal. to put (oneself ) in a state of mental competence to perform a task.

   We can't have any slip-ups, so you'd better get organized.

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verb (used without object)

organized, organizing

1. to combine in an organized company, party, or the like.

2. to form a labor union.

   Management resisted all efforts to organize.

3. to assume organic structure.

organize British  

/ ˈɔːɡəˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to form (parts or elements of something) into a structured whole; coordinate

2. (tr) to arrange methodically or in order

3. (tr) to provide with an organic structure

4. (tr) to enlist (the workers) of (a factory, concern, or industry) in a trade union

5. (intr) to join or form an organization or trade union

6. informal (tr) to put (oneself) in an alert and responsible frame of mind

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Other Word Forms

• misorganize verb
• organizability noun
• organizable adjective
• outorganize verb (used with object)
• preorganize verb
• unorganizable adjective

Etymology

Origin of organize

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin organizāre “to contrive, arrange,” equivalent to organ(um) organ + -izāre -ize

Explanation

If you systematically put something in order, you organize it. Your family might not understand the way you organize your kitchen if you keep shoelaces, dental floss, and a screwdriver in your silverware drawer. The verb organize also means to plan or orchestrate something. If you've agreed to organize the German club's bake sale, you'll probably spend some serious time transporting cupcakes and linzer torte to school. When a group of workers forms a union, this action is also described with the verb organize. The International Ladies Garment Workers Union, for example, was organized in 1900 in New York City by immigrant factory workers.

Example Sentences

“It will increase costs and increase the burden on others to organize their selves and accelerate the tendency toward regional supply chains.”

From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026

In one blog post, the organization denies the law is “a shield for Big Tech” and is, in fact, “essential to protecting individuals’ ability to speak, organize and create online.”

From Salon • Apr. 16, 2026

Those concepts should reshape how we organize, train, operate, educate and procure.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

The streamlining is a way to reduce expenses and better organize a sometimes confusing reporting structure.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

“We can’t organize bigger and more influential deputations,” stated Harriot Stanton Blatch, the daughter of suffrage pioneer Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• construct
• coordinate
• create
• establish
• form
• formulate
• regulate
• run
• set up