realize

[ ree-uh-lahyz ]

/ ˈri əˌlaɪz /

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See synonyms for: realize / realized / realizes / realizing on Thesaurus.com

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR realize

1 conceive, comprehend.

2 accomplish, effect.

See synonyms for realize on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR realize

1 misunderstand.

See antonyms for realize on Thesaurus.com

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Also especially British, re·al·ise .

Origin of realize

First recorded in 1605–15; from French réaliser, Middle French, equivalent to real real¹ + -iser -ize

synonym study for realize

3. See imagine.

OTHER WORDS FROM realize

re·al·iz·a·ble, adjectivere·al·iz·a·bil·i·ty

[ree-uh-lahyz-uh-bil-i-tee], /ri əˌlaɪz əˈbɪl ɪ ti/, 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.

Words nearby realize

reality principle, reality show, reality testing, reality TV, realization, realize, realized, real-life, real line, reallocate, reallocation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use realize in a sentence

Once we started hearing all the stories, we realized it was probably a series and not one film.
“People want to believe”: How Love Fraud builds an absorbing docuseries around a romantic con man|Alissa Wilkinson|September 4, 2020|Vox
Now in 2020, we’re realizing those same elements are just as valuable when it comes to helping people feel comfortable flying.
Spirit Airlines starts testing biometric check-ins|Frederic Lardinois|September 3, 2020|TechCrunch
He realized he could use his skills to help the Gotham Coyote Project.
Are coyotes moving into your neighborhood?|Kathryn Hulick|September 3, 2020|Science News For Students
Fibroblasts, tumor cells, glial cells … The team realized every time they depleted the cell of PTB, the cell would convert into a neuron.
The Neurons That Appeared from Nowhere - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Nayanah Siva|September 2, 2020|Nautilus

It took me a long time for me to realize that and to feel comfortable just being me.
Queery: Kerry Hallett|Staff reports|September 2, 2020|Washington Blade
Our duty is to make sure that they realize that the Prophet is not avenged.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And in order for them to realize their vision, they are willing to use any means.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It just took the “other” Senhor José a few decades to realize that.
The Lost Novel of Nobel-Winner José Saramago|Charles Shafaieh|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Finding the common bonds that help us realize that we have far more in common than that which separates us.
In 2015, Let’s Try for More Compassion|Gene Robinson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Finally, Van Cleef and Martin realize Liberty is going too far.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Few people, I think, realize that, and fewer still realize the reasonable consequences of that.
The Salvaging Of Civilisation|H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
Sondershausen is a dreamy, sleepy place, with so little life about it that you hardly realize there are any people there at all.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
Of course, you probably realize the difficulty of laying hands on men who know they are wanted, and act accordingly.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
How little did she realize the long drawn-out agony that was even then beginning for her sisters in that ill-fated entrenchment!
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
She did not realize that a passion for a business enterprise, as for a woman, is capable of destroying the balance of any man.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett

British Dictionary definitions for realize

realize

realise

/ (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) (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 forms of realize

realizable 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

realize

OTHER WORDS FOR realize

OPPOSITES FOR realize

Origin of realize

synonym study for realize

OTHER WORDS FROM realize

Words nearby realize

Words related to realize

How to use realize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for realize

realise

Derived forms of realize