Showing results for realize. Search instead for realice.

Synonyms

realize

American

[ree-uh-lahyz] / ˈri əˌlaɪz /

especially British, realise

verb (used with object)

to grasp or understand clearly.

Synonyms:

comprehend, conceive

Antonyms:

misunderstand
to make real; give reality to (a hope, fear, plan, etc.).

Synonyms:

effect, accomplish
to bring vividly to the mind.
to convert into cash or money.

to realize securities.
to obtain as a profit or income for oneself by trade, labor, or investment.
to bring as proceeds, as from a sale.

The goods realized $1000.
Music. to sight-read on a keyboard instrument or write out in notation the full harmony and ornamentation indicated by (a figured bass).
Linguistics. to serve as an instance, representation, or embodiment of (an abstract linguistic element or category).

In “Jack tripped,” the subject is realized by “Jack,” the predicate by “tripped,” and the past tense by “-ed.”

verb (used without object)

to convert property or goods into cash or money.

realize British

/ ˈrɪəˌlaɪz /

verb

(when tr, may take a clause as object) to become conscious or aware of (something)
(tr, often passive) to bring (a plan, ambition, etc) to fruition; make actual or concrete
(tr) to give (something, such as a drama or film) the appearance of reality
(tr) (of goods, property, etc) to sell for or make (a certain sum)

this table realized £800
(tr) to convert (property or goods) into cash
(tr)
1. to expand or complete (a thorough-bass part in a piece of baroque music) by supplying the harmonies indicated in the figured bass
2. to reconstruct (a composition) from an incomplete set of parts
to sound or utter (a phoneme or other speech sound) in actual speech; articulate

"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

Synonym Usage

See imagine.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of realize

First recorded in 1605–15; from French réaliser, Middle French, equivalent to real real ¹ + -iser -ize

Explanation

When you realize something, you become fully aware of what is happening, like when you realize all the people in your basement who are smiling at you and starting to sing to you are there because it's your birthday. Surprise! Realize usually describes the moment your thoughts click, like the moment you close the door behind you, you realize you don't have your keys. You are locked out! So you knock on your neighbor's door. You realize, here meaning that you are fully aware, that she might not appreciate having to help you because she's trying to leave for work. You tell her your new goal is to be more organized. She says, until you realize, or reach, that goal, you better hide an extra key somewhere in your yard.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing realize

Workshop 2, Part 1

Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!

Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"

Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!

Ceremony

Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!

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.

See Examples For:

realize realizes realized realizing

“It’s a little disheartening to realize that somebody has done something that can’t be repaired — like, this damage cannot be repaired,” Gough said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

For one, it was a blast of cold coffee to the face to realize that what qualifies as a career-derailing flop in 2006 meets or beats the quality of most made-for-Netflix features.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

Their loss will come back to bite companies sooner than they realize.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

They didn’t realize they were speaking with the couple whose home had been violated.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

My future had already gone off the rails, even if they didn’t realize it; I had already gone to France.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

“Every Republican I’m aware of realizes this year requires a full commitment, in terms of time, effort, resources,” Mackowack said.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

The Marvel Cinematic Universe can only expand so many times before one realizes it’s not actually going anywhere.

From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026

Eventually he realizes that he doesn’t mind “the emotional shadow that Graceland and Elvis casts over the song. In some way I think it adds an emotional punch.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

“I’ve been doing this work for 30 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. ...People from San Diego up to Eureka and Humboldt, everybody is mobilizing because everybody realizes what’s at risk.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

The cold of the snow is palpable, though she realizes her dress is no longer wet from the rain.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

I quickly realized I was not going to get my Hollywood ending.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

Then, it realized that it had accessed a real company, stopped itself, and left, according to Google.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

When Wagner compared older and newer images of the same region, he realized the feature was a newly formed impact crater.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

But I realized El-Sayed didn’t have to process that day the way many of us were.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

When I realized what he was doing, I stopped and fed and rested the team, sat on the sled and thought about what I was doing wrong.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

You can and should be concerned about the impacts A.I. is already having in our time, while also realizing that these folks do not share your particular concerns.

From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2026

After realizing a swarm of AI agents broke out of testing and hacked rival companies, OpenAI paused AI training for new models temporarily and promised to strengthen its cyberdefenses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

She began cooking everything from scratch after realizing that eating highly processed foods was contributing to her eczema flare-ups.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026

"A key challenge faced by biomimetic science is realizing environmentally friendly material designs inspired by nature at the scale and cost of existing materials," said Assoc.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

I tightened my grip around the letter, crumpling it mercilessly in my hand before realizing what I was doing and releasing it.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023