realize

[ree-uh-lahyz]

verb (used with object), re·al·ized, re·al·iz·ing.

to grasp or understand clearly.

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

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), re·al·ized, re·al·iz·ing.

to convert property or goods into cash or money.

Nearby words

Also especially British, re·al·ise.

Origin of realize

1605–15; < French réaliser, Middle French, equivalent to real real¹ + -iser -ize

SYNONYMS FOR realize

1. conceive, comprehend. 2. accomplish, effect. 3. See imagine.

ANTONYMS FOR realize

1. misunderstand.

Related forms

re·al·iz·a·ble, adjectivere·al·iz·a·bil·i·ty, re·al·iz·a·ble·ness, nounre·al·iz·a·bly, adverbre·al·iz·er, noun

hy·per·re·al·ize, verb (used with object), hy·per·re·al·ized, hy·per·re·al·iz·ing.non·re·al·iz·a·ble, adjectivenon·re·al·iz·ing, adjectivepre·re·al·ize, verb (used with object), pre·re·al·ized, pre·re·al·iz·ing.un·der·re·al·ize, verb (used with object), un·der·re·al·ized, un·der·re·al·iz·ing.un·re·al·ize, verb (used with object), un·re·al·ized, un·re·al·iz·ing.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for realise

We realise the Sea King fleet is ageing and welcome the investment in new aircraft.
Is The Real Reason William is Quitting Flying His New American Boss?|Tom Sykes|March 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And I admire Rembrandt too much not to realise the beauty that can be derived from frequenting the synagogue.
David's Bookclub: Sodom and Gomorrah|David Frum|September 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I have tried to realise a definite result, and I have not been disappointed.
Sermons|Clement Bailhache
Can you realise the miracle, liberty-loving reader, that passes in the mind of a man who thus suddenly realises his freedom?
Caught by the Turks|Francis Yeats-Brown

Perhaps, too, he was beginning to realise his unendurable frustration as a business man as the consequence of his marriage.
The Plattner Story and Others|H. G. Wells
To realise one's ambition and a crown, albeit a silver one, in the same half-hour, is always worth while.
The Mercenary|W. J. Eccott
They had only to ask some of the others of his tribe to sing to realise the truth of what he said, he added.
The Romance of Polar Exploration|G. Firth Scott

British Dictionary definitions for realise

realize

realise

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) (of a musicologist or performer)

to expand or complete (a thorough-bass part in a piece of baroque music) by supplying the harmonies indicated in the figured bass
to reconstruct (a composition) from an incomplete set of parts

to sound or utter (a phoneme or other speech sound) in actual speech; articulate

Derived Formsrealizable or realisable, adjectiverealizably or realisably, adverbrealization or realisation, nounrealizer or realiser, noun

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

Word Origin and History for realise

realise

chiefly British English spelling of realize; for suffix, see -ize. Related: Realisation; realised; realising.

realize

1610s, "bring into existence," from French réaliser "make real" (16c.), from Middle French real "actual" (see real (adj.)). Sense of "understand clearly, make real in the mind" is first recorded 1775. Sense of "obtain, amass" is from 1753. Related: Realized; realizing.

realize

verb (used with object), re·al·ized, re·al·iz·ing.

verb (used without object), re·al·ized, re·al·iz·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of realize

Examples from the Web for realise

realize

realise

verb

realise

realize