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.

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Vocabulary lists containing realize

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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.

See Examples For:

realize realizes realized realizing

It’s important for investors to realize how good they have had it.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

Olsen: Now, I came to realize that “Brothers and Sisters,” it goes back 20 years now that you were on that show.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

“When you realize that velocity isn’t everything, you know that different things can work,” Giants Triple-A pitching coach Alain Quijano said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Only then did I realize this wasn’t simply a recommendation screen.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Gingersnipes seemed to realize that Clare would not surrender in this quest.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

“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

Mr. Gill looks back at that 1992 interview and others and realizes that the Jeff Beck he thought he knew is a mystery, a self-contradicting trickster with a tendency to be witty and evasive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

There comes a point at which a woman realizes she’s a lot closer in age to Diane Keaton in “Something’s Gotta Give” than Amanda Peet, and she’s OK with that.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

Goodwin herself is steeped in retirement-planning knowledge and feels prepared — but realizes it’s still very precarious out there for women.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026

It is only then that Bailey realizes the scope of the commitment he is being asked for.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Reading those words, I realized I had to be more loyal to myself than to the bureaucratic institution whose judgement I no longer trusted.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

“I realized homeowners wanted to learn themselves, and that’s how I started to grow the channel,” says the 36-year-old.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

"Evolutionarily speaking, you don't keep the organ that you don't need. After watching many videos, I realized this animal is moving its eyeball toward the light."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

After Spooner made his documentary, he realized how much the film resonated with Black punks who yearned for community and acceptance.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Without his questions I might not have realized that the call must have been local.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Even without these limitations, to hand over one’s vision to someone else, and conversely, to shoulder the responsibility for realizing it are both touching acts of trust.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Terekh’s path is one traveled by many peaceful Ukrainians who have embraced the war effort after realizing their skills were needed to blunt Russia’s invasion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

"It's an exciting advancement that brings us closer to realizing the dream of a single assay for universal disease detection."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

Sometimes the best solution isn’t persuading someone to change their mind — it’s realizing you don’t need them to bend to your will.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

He smiles and I grin back before realizing what I’m doing.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

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