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:
Turning the valve back on gets oil moving, but it takes time to optimize the tanker/refiner matching.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
The team also plans to optimize treatment methods through approaches such as dose fractionation and direct injection into tumors.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
“We are going to absorb it, optimize it and scale it into something that is really truly fantastic,” said Rocket Lab Chief Executive Peter Beck in a YouTube presentation of the deal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
It’s very hard to turn them into parameters you can optimize.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 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
He’s the 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
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
The new AI accelerator is optimized to meet the demands of current and future AI models, OpenAI said, adding that engineering samples are now running machine learning workloads, including its GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark text-only coding model.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
Argentum AI’s CEO believes Nvidia chips retain at least 25% of their cost after five years and are optimized for inference.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
It is curated, ranked, monetized and constantly optimized using first-party data that tracks what people watch, when they watch it and how they respond to ads.
From Salon ● Jun. 21, 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
Future studies are expected to focus on orthotopic validation, optimizing dosing strategies, tracking nitric oxide activity over longer periods, and investigating the underlying mechanisms in additional central nervous system tumor models.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 27, 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
There were no red flags in his test results, he says, but he still met with a nurse practitioner trained in preventive neurology in the hopes of optimizing his health.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
The have-nots are doing everything that used to guarantee great jobs — refreshing resumes, optimizing LinkedIn profiles and doing interviews — but companies are much more picky these days.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 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.
