itemize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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itemizationnoun
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itemizernoun
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nonitemizernoun
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reitemizeverb (used with object)
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misitemizedadjective
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nonitemizedadjective
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unitemizedadjective
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well-itemizedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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itemizesimple
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itemizessimple
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have itemizedperfect
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has itemizedperfect
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am itemizingprogressive
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are itemizingprogressive
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is itemizingprogressive
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have been itemizingperfect progressive
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has been itemizingperfect progressive
Past
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itemizedsimple
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had itemizedperfect
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was itemizingprogressive
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were itemizingprogressive
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had been itemizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of itemize
Explanation
To itemize is to make a list. If you work at a store that sells pet fish, you might need to itemize your stock of fish — separately listing the number of goldfish, cuttlefish, and jellyfish. When you place items, or individual things, on a list, you itemize them. Though itemize is essentially a synonym for list, it is usually used for more formal situations and those related to budget. So itemize your tax deductions or your spending report, or even itemize the reactions of your chemistry experiment. But to itemize your complaints about your little brother is probably going overboard.
Vocabulary lists containing itemize
Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Middle School
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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:
Chances are most of your guests will take the standard deduction rather than itemize those donations.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 11, 2026
Many people were aiming to get ahead of new rules in last summer’s tax law that limit tax breaks on charitable giving for high earners and those who itemize deductions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
People in this age bracket can now get an extra senior deduction of $6,000, regardless of whether they take the standard deduction or itemize.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
They are available both to taxpayers who take the standard deduction and those who itemize their deductions.
From Barron's ● Jan. 23, 2026
When Uncle Al discovers that city officials have yet to itemize the Fox Brothers baggage stock, a handful of nondescript horses get spirited from one stable tent to another.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Further, regardless of whether one itemizes or uses the standard deduction, an additional $6,000 deduction is available to many taxpayers over 65.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
It would help any taxpayer who itemizes deductions when filing federal income taxes, especially a homeowner who pays property levies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2024
It identifies when we lift a product from a shelf, freezer or produce bin, automatically itemizes the goods and charges us when we leave the store.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2022
These dual conflicts with her parent and within herself often materialize in the text as surreal flights of passive aggression—she carefully itemizes offenses against her and then pointedly refuses to condemn them.
From The New Yorker ● Sep. 6, 2018
Each involved element of the emergency organization details its response actions in Service Support Plans and itemizes functions appropriate to the specific contingency.
That is only among the dealers that provide itemized prices in writing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
It’s part of the broader “office” category, and to find the data-center expenditure, there’s a separate set of itemized data called value put in place.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
Some households may have to plan how to maximize other itemized deductions to make the most of the tax break.
From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026
The first puts a 0.5% floor on itemized deductions.
From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026
“Here’s an itemized schedule of deductions from the year Kennedy was assassinated. Go have it framed!”
From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
This goes back to the hassle of itemizing donations.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 11, 2026
I’ve found myself calculating the social risk, itemizing what would work in our favor.
From Slate ● Feb. 19, 2026
Still, this year’s changes might mean you would be better off itemizing your deductions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 26, 2026
If you claim the standard deduction instead of itemizing, there’s good news: Starting next year, you can snag a charitable deduction for cash gifts on top of the standard deduction for the first time.
From Barron's ● Nov. 25, 2025
I first gave a general overview of my travels, itemizing the money we had received and the offers of training.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
