synchronize

American  

[sing-kruh-nahyz] / ˈsɪŋ krəˌnaɪz /

especially British, synchronise

verb (used with object)

• synchronizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• synchronized,
  past participle,  past
• synchronizing
  present participle

1. to cause to indicate the same time, as one timepiece with another.

   Synchronize your watches.

2. to cause to go on, move, operate, work, etc., at the same rate and exactly together.

   They synchronized their steps and walked on together.

3. Movies, Television.

   1. to cause (sound and action) to match precisely.

      to synchronize the sound of footsteps with the actor's movements.

   2. to match the sound and action in (a scene).

4. to harmonize or bring into alignment.

   To be at peace with yourself you must synchronize your lifestyle with your values.

5. 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.

6. Computers. sync.

7. 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.

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verb (used without object)

• synchronizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• synchronized,
  past participle,  past
• synchronizing
  present participle

1. to occur at the same time or coincide or agree in time.

2. to go on, move, operate, work, etc., at the same rate and exactly together; recur together.

3. Computers. sync.

synchronize British  

/ ˈsɪŋkrəˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to occur or recur or cause to occur or recur at the same time or in unison

2. to indicate or cause to indicate the same time

   synchronize your watches

3. 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

4. (tr) films to establish (the picture and soundtrack records) in their correct relative position

5. (tr) to designate (events) as simultaneous

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• desynchronization
  noun
• synchronization
  noun
• synchronizer
  noun
• desynchronize
  verb (used with object)
• unsynchronized
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• synchronizing
  present
• synchronized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• synchronize
  simple
• synchronizes
  simple
• have synchronized
  perfect
• has synchronized
  perfect
• am synchronizing
  progressive
• are synchronizing
  progressive
• is synchronizing
  progressive
• have been synchronizing
  perfect progressive
• has been synchronizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• synchronized
  simple
• had synchronized
  perfect
• was synchronizing
  progressive
• were synchronizing
  progressive
• had been synchronizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will synchronize
  simple
• will have synchronized
  perfect
• will be synchronizing
  progressive
• will have been synchronizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of synchronize

First recorded in 1615–25; from Greek synchronízein “to be contemporary with”; from sýnchron(os) synchronous + -izein -ize

Explanation

When you synchronize things, you make them happen at the same time. If you have rhythm, you can synchronize your dance moves with the beat of the music. If not, stay off the dance floor. Synchronize, pronounced "SINK-ruh-nize," means "to make things happen at the same time" — even down to a fraction of a second, as in synchronized swimming. In that sport, one movement that doesn't sync, or match up, costs the swimmers points. When you synchronize your wristwatches, people can't blame their watches being fast or slow if they don't come to the meeting spot at the right time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

synchronize synchronizes synchronized synchronizing

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

This strategy has been highly successful in radio astronomy because radio waves have long wavelengths, making it feasible to precisely synchronize signals collected by widely spaced sensors.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 10, 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

Babies as young as one or two days old synchronize their head, elbow, shoulder, hip, and foot movements with the speech patterns of adults.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

This system synchronizes cabin lighting, instruments and audio settings to one of five prefabricated “atmospheres,” including Lounge, Joy, Nature, Energetic, and Minimal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

But during a seizure, the chatter synchronizes into loud bursts of electrical activity that overwhelm the brain's casual conversation.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 15, 2024

This clock synchronizes and coordinates our body’s circadian rhythms, which help us prepare for things that happen at various times of day — such as falling asleep at night and waking up in the morning.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 3, 2023

And when Derbez and Weaving pair in scenes, their expert timing synchronizes.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2022

The opening of this seal evidently synchronizes with the commencement of the reformation, when they might have supposed the kingdom of God would immediately appear.

From A Brief Commentary on the Apocalypse by Sylvester Bliss

Research has linked synchronized movement with social bonding and increased pain thresholds, while studies of dance and movement therapy have found benefits for depression, anxiety and interpersonal functioning.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Another type of data is collected via a human operator remotely controlling a physical robot while the system records synchronized data like camera feeds and joint states to train foundation models, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

She enters the mosh pit fearlessly, dodging flailing arms to two-step — a synchronized dance move that requires punching and running in place — unleashing her energy in the punk sanctum.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026

There are also synchronized motocross jumps in front of the White House, which feels like a 12-year-old’s doodle come to life.

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026

“Happy birthday!” they shout in unison, throwing their arms up like a synchronized act.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

Kaya de Barbaro, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, analyzed families with babies, synchronizing home audio recordings with the mothers’ smartphone use.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026

The big draw of space for data centers is power supply, with the option of synchronizing satellites to the sun's orbit to ensure constant light beaming onto solar panels.

From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026

Another way, which has been studied more, is to see if they are capable of synchronizing to beats in a rhythm, Honing said.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2025

They found that it is not only highly dynamic but also possesses a peculiar long-range order that may be responsible for synchronizing processes in the nucleus.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 18, 2024

Then, after synchronizing my wristwatch with the clock in the latrine, I walked down the long, wet cobblestone hill into town.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

Related Words

• adjust
• harmonize
• integrate
• mesh