synchronize

American  

[sing-kruh-nahyz] / ˈsɪŋ krəˌnaɪz /

especially British, synchronise

verb (used with object)

synchronized, synchronizing

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)

synchronized, synchronizing

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

• 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

Even our brain waves start to synchronize, according to Makiko Hirata, an international concert pianist who works with neuroscientists to quantify the benefits of music on our well-being.

From Los Angeles Times

The couples wore red and gold traditional Chinese wedding outfits, performing the ceremony in a synchronized choreography.

From New York Times

It turns out, the spiders use vibrations in their mega-web to choreograph a synchronized swarming process, the study found.

From Scientific American

Hunt for new details on the way back or just walk at a natural pace and let the universe’s timing synchronize on its own.

From Seattle Times

Sonos pioneered the market for home speakers that can be controlled by a smartphone and can synchronize music wirelessly between different speakers throughout the house.

From New York Times

Related Words

• adjust
• harmonize
• integrate
• mesh