synchronize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause to indicate the same time, as one timepiece with another.
Synchronize your watches.
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to cause to go on, move, operate, work, etc., at the same rate and exactly together.
They synchronized their steps and walked on together.
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Movies, Television.
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to cause (sound and action) to match precisely.
to synchronize the sound of footsteps with the actor's movements.
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to match the sound and action in (a scene).
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to harmonize or bring into alignment.
To be at peace with yourself you must synchronize your lifestyle with your values.
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to cause (accounts or narratives) to agree in the timing and sequence of events, or to arrange (events) in a way that shows their occurrence in the same time or period.
The early church fathers did not attempt to synchronize the four gospels.
This chart synchronizes inventions that occurred simultaneously in different parts of the world.
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Computers. sync.
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to adjust the periodicities of (two or more electrical or mechanical devices) so that the periods are equal or integral multiples or fractions of each other.
verb (used without object)
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to occur at the same time or coincide or agree in time.
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to go on, move, operate, work, etc., at the same rate and exactly together; recur together.
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Computers. sync.
verb
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to occur or recur or cause to occur or recur at the same time or in unison
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to indicate or cause to indicate the same time
synchronize your watches
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to download files, esp music or video files, from a PC to a portable device such as an iPod, or to upload files from the device to a PC
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(tr) films to establish (the picture and soundtrack records) in their correct relative position
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(tr) to designate (events) as simultaneous
Other Word Forms
- desynchronization noun
- desynchronize verb (used with object)
- synchronization noun
- synchronizer noun
- unsynchronized adjective
Etymology
Origin of synchronize
First recorded in 1615–25; from Greek synchronízein “to be contemporary with”; from sýnchron(os) synchronous + -izein -ize
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.
A wave of teacher contracts is up for renegotiation now, thanks to a strategy the unions implemented a few years ago to synchronize expiration dates.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026
Together, these sensors convert stretch and pressure into electrical and chemical signals that help synchronize contractions.
From Science Daily • Jan. 13, 2026
One powerful solution is to synchronize AI’s huge power needs with the public grid’s real-time stress level.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 10, 2025
Similar findings were also reported in another study with a bonobo, in which the bonobo was also able to synchronize its drum beats to a human in the experiment.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2025
“Now, men, we’re going to synchronize our watches,” Colonel Korn began promptly in a sharp, commanding manner, rolling his eyes flirtatiously in General Dreedle’s direction.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
