socialize

American  

[soh-shuh-lahyz] / ˈsoʊ ʃəˌlaɪz /

especially British, socialise

verb (used with object)

• socializes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• socialized,
  past participle,  past
• socializing
  present participle

1. to make social; make fit for life in companionship with others.

2. to make socialistic; establish or regulate according to the theories of socialism.

3. Education. to treat as a group activity.

   to socialize spelling quizzes.

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verb (used without object)

• socializes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• socialized,
  past participle,  past
• socializing
  present participle

1. to associate or mingle sociably with others.

   to socialize with one's fellow workers.

socialize British  

/ ˈsəʊʃəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (intr) to behave in a friendly or sociable manner

2. (tr) to prepare for life in society

3. (tr) to alter or create so as to be in accordance with socialist principles, as by nationalization

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• socializer
  noun
• resocialize
  verb
• oversocialize
  verb (used with object)
• socializable
  adjective
• unsocializable
  adjective
• unsocialized
  adjective
• unsocializing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• socializing
  present
• socialized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• socialize
  simple
• socializes
  simple
• have socialized
  perfect
• has socialized
  perfect
• am socializing
  progressive
• are socializing
  progressive
• is socializing
  progressive
• have been socializing
  perfect progressive
• has been socializing
  perfect progressive

Past

• socialized
  simple
• had socialized
  perfect
• was socializing
  progressive
• were socializing
  progressive
• had been socializing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will socialize
  simple
• will have socialized
  perfect
• will be socializing
  progressive
• will have been socializing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of socialize

First recorded in 1820–30; social + -ize

Explanation

When you socialize, you participate in activities in a group setting. If you have been studying alone for some time, you might take a break at the coffee shop to socialize with some friends. You can socialize somebody else, or educate her in social patterns. Parents socialize their kids through their upbringing, and clubs often socialize their members through a uniform. If you want to hang out with motorcyclists, you might want to dress in leather. It is also possible to socialize institutions, where benefits are open to a wide section of society. If voters socialize medicine, that service becomes available to all at government expense.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

socialize socializes socialized socializing

It’s hard to socialize when half the boat is often asleep, one cruise-goer said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

“Champions are the ones who socialize the broader potential of AI,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Desperate to help her socialize, Bonnie’s parents weigh the costs of getting her a tablet, reluctantly adding one to their cart.

From Salon ● Jun. 21, 2026

Freiha said the change was to accommodate the afternoon crowd, which tends to arrive in groups and wants a place to socialize.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026

“Okay, everyone, you can socialize later. I’ll give you time at the end of the period. Right now line up into the same teams we made last week.”

From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin

One of the few Turks in Karagümrük who socializes with the Syrians, he argues that the latter—devout Sunni Muslims who flock to the local mosques—are “our votes in the future.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

He works in an office plaza, lives in a shoebox apartment with vellum-thin walls and socializes at his choice of nearby casual dining establishments with names like Flingers and Chotchkie's Bar & Grill.

From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2024

It wasn’t quite a Bond movie, but the trial provided glimpses of the sometimes glamorous locations where the art world lives, socializes and does business.

From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2024

Most people at the intersection are trying to get by, added Yarrow Blackbear, who lives nearby and socializes there.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2021

I start to see that the Internet is the way she travels; the way she socializes; the way she feels like part of things.

From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen

People who engage in romantic relationships with men — women, femmes, gay men, etc. — are socialized to be ever-forgiving, to have infinite patience and compassion.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026

Julia Rodgers, a family law attorney and the CEO of HelloPrenup, said that the book is “an indictment of how women are socialized around money and relationships.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026

I was socialized in the crucible of millennial progressivism.

From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2026

Men — and this is not an excuse — are often not socialized to step in on these terms.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 29, 2025

Blacks and whites lived separately, ate separately, studied separately, socialized separately, worshipped separately, and, for the most part, worked separately.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

The findings suggest that everyday patterns, such as waking, eating, working, socializing, and going to bed at similar times, may support better overall well-being.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

Eve Babitz — who was a close friend of 93-year-old Deanne Mencher, who still makes the cheesecakes at Dan Tana’s — was known for socializing at the restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

They are stripped of their passports, assigned minders, forbidden from socializing with the locals, and in some cases forbidden to go out after 6 p.m.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

At various points while watching “Louis C.K.: Ridiculous,” my mind wandered back to the many times such kamikaze socializing missions were thrust upon me when I was a kid.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

We walk outside to the parking lot, where all the socializing is happening.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

Related Words

• entertain
• get around
• mingle