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

Meals can be a time to socialize and deepen bonds with family and friends.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 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

“They need to have places to socialize properly,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

The group of about fifteen black Cavalettes got together mostly to socialize, eat cookies, drink punch, talk, and dance to records we played on the portable record player.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

One socializes with friends: Forty years in Charlottesville has brought me many smart and genial ones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

Karan says he socializes and eats at indoor restaurants.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2024

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

Mr. Khan socializes with F.B.I. agents, prison guards, military lawyers and top prison officials during “religious feasts, social meetings and meetings regarding detention-related issues,” Colonel Jemmott said in an affidavit.

From New York Times ● Aug. 9, 2022

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

Eric rarely socialized, e-mailed, or chatted, at least about non-techie topics.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Speaking of that: It’s not too late to join our series of challenges to help you rediscover the beauty of socializing in a pre-smartphone era.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

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

A utility whose data-center customers are contractually obliged to pay whether or not they draw the power is structurally safer than one still socializing costs through general rates.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 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

There was some socializing she didn’t take part in.

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• entertain
• get around
• mingle