optimize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make as effective, perfect, or useful as possible.
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to make the best of.
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Computers. to write or rewrite (the instructions in a program) so as to maximize efficiency and speed in retrieval, storage, or execution.
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Mathematics. to determine the maximum or minimum values of (a specified function that is subject to certain constraints).
verb (used without object)
verb
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(tr) to take the full advantage of
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(tr) to plan or carry out (an economic activity) with maximum efficiency
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(intr) to be optimistic
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(tr) to write or modify (a computer program) to achieve maximum efficiency in storage capacity, time, cost, etc
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(tr) to find the best compromise among several often conflicting requirements, as in engineering design
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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optimizesimple
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optimizessimple
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have optimizedperfect
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has optimizedperfect
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am optimizingprogressive
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are optimizingprogressive
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is optimizingprogressive
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have been optimizingperfect progressive
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has been optimizingperfect progressive
Past
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optimizedsimple
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had optimizedperfect
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was optimizingprogressive
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were optimizingprogressive
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had been optimizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of optimize
Explanation
Optimize means to make the best possible use of something. If you optimize your home storage capacity, you clean and organize your closets and drawers to be able to fit the most in. Before the advent of the Internet, the word optimize was mostly used to describe the act of being really positive about the world, or being an optimist. But today one can scarcely hear the word without thinking about how to optimize a website or make it as efficient as possible. SEO, standing for "search engine optimization," refers to this process of optimizing a website to make it appear more frequently in web searches.
Vocabulary lists containing optimize
Engineering - Introductory
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Engineering: Defining Problems and Designing Solutions - Introductory
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Mathematical Modeling
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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:
“Landmaxxing”—the quest to optimize one’s land holdings by acquiring more acreage—drove the luxury market during the first part of the year, according to a new midyear report from Coldwell Banker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Gauff drilled her footwork, working to optimize her explosive speed for a slippery surface where hard stops and aggressive sprinting can often backfire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
This frees Lodge Quai from having to fix a leaky factory roof in, say, Düsseldorf, and it allows the local company not only to optimize its expenses, but more importantly redeploy its locked-up capital.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
“Warsh will optimize the path for inflation and economic growth. He will be independent and do what he wants,” Bessent said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
The university had a reputation for spawning world-class scientists exploring how to optimize use of technology in airplanes and in the military, in the tradition of Broadbent and Dr. Treisman.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
He expects Nestlé’s revenue growth to reaccelerate as it optimizes its portfolio around areas like coffee and pet care.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
It automates high-frequency trades on Wall Street, optimizes global supply chains and powers the algorithms behind digital advertising.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Apple’s new CEO is a person who builds things, not one who optimizes supply chains.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026
Mattel said the job cuts are part of an effort to save money as the company optimizes for growth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026
Such a structure is generated by the technological implementation of the brain, and it optimizes the activity of the brain in a section of the external reality.
From The Brain, A Decoded Enigma by Moisa, Dorin Teodor
Such are the enticing promises of peptides, an increasingly buzzy class of substances touted by influencers and celebrities as the key to an optimized life.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Some in the industry said they doubted LineShine could match dedicated AI supercomputers because the hardware in those systems is optimized for training today’s AI models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Because plant factories allow growers to carefully control these factors, the findings may help support the development of specialized lettuce varieties optimized for indoor cultivation systems.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 15, 2026
The company is developing a new consumer chip optimized for agentic-AI workloads called RTX Spark.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 15, 2026
The members decided to fund two machines of different sizes, each optimized to produce different particles; the only question left was which lab would build which machine.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
I didn’t realize that optimizing my travel points meant picking up a new hobby: constantly comparing prices on travel portals, which is where you redeem your credit-card points for plane tickets, hotels and experiences.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
"By dissecting which immune cells are involved and how they coordinate the response, we're offering vaccine developers some additional mechanistic insights to consider in their goal of optimizing these vaccines against tumor proteins."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026
Back then, it said the cuts were aimed at optimizing expenses External link as it works toward launching its new midsize platform in 2027, developing robo-taxis, and moving into new markets.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
Castlelake in 2023 bought undervalued aviation assets suffering cyclical stress before optimizing and exiting, the analyst adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Twin Cities job market analyst Kristine Jacobs pinpoints what she calls the “money taboo” as a major factor preventing workers from optimizing their earnings.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
