transform

American  

[trans-fawrm, trans-fawrm] / trænsˈfɔrm, ˈtræns fɔrm /

verb (used with object)

• transforms,
  present (3rd person singular)
• transformed,
  past participle,  past
• transforming
  present participle

1. 

   to change in form, appearance, or structure; metamorphose.

   Synonyms:

   transfigure

2. to change in condition, nature, or character; convert.

3. to change into another substance; transmute.

4. Electricity.

   1. to increase or decrease (the voltage and current characteristics of an alternating-current circuit), as by means of a transformer.

   2. to decrease (the voltage and current characteristics of a direct-current circuit), as by means of a transformer.

5. Mathematics. to change the form of (a figure, expression, etc.) without in general changing the value.

6. Physics. to change into another form of energy.

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verb (used without object)

• transforms,
  present (3rd person singular)
• transformed,
  past participle,  past
• transforming
  present participle

1. to undergo a change in form, appearance, or character; become transformed.

noun

1. Mathematics.

   1. a mathematical quantity obtained from a given quantity by an algebraic, geometric, or functional transformation.

   2. the transformation itself.

2. the result of a transformation.

3. a transformation.

4. Logic. transformation.

5. Linguistics. a structure derived by a transformation.

transform British  

verb

1. to alter or be altered radically in form, function, etc

2. (tr) to convert (one form of energy) to another form

3. (tr) maths to change the form of (an equation, expression, etc) by a mathematical transformation

4. (tr) to increase or decrease (an alternating current or voltage) using a transformer

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noun

1. maths the result of a mathematical transformation, esp (of a matrix or an element of a group) another related to the given one by B = X ^–1 AX for some appropriate X

Synonym Usage

Transform , convert mean to change one thing into another. Transform suggests changing from one form, appearance, structure, or type to another: to transform soybeans into oil and meal by pressure. Convert suggests so changing the characteristics as to change the use or purpose: to convert a barn into a house.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retransform
  verb (used with object)
• intertransformable
  adjective
• nontransforming
  adjective
• self-transformed
  adjective
• transformable
  adjective
• transformative
  adjective
• untransformable
  adjective
• untransformed
  adjective
• untransforming
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• transforming
  present
• transformed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• transform
  simple
• transforms
  simple
• have transformed
  perfect
• has transformed
  perfect
• am transforming
  progressive
• are transforming
  progressive
• is transforming
  progressive
• have been transforming
  perfect progressive
• has been transforming
  perfect progressive

Past

• transformed
  simple
• had transformed
  perfect
• was transforming
  progressive
• were transforming
  progressive
• had been transforming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will transform
  simple
• will have transformed
  perfect
• will be transforming
  progressive
• will have been transforming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of transform

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English transformen, from Latin trānsfōrmāre “to change in shape”; see trans-, form

Explanation

When you transform you change from one thing or state to another. Picture a transformer that changes from a robot to a car. Simple, right? Caterpillars transform into butterflies, a forest is transformed by a snowfall, and a city can be transformed by a new government or a changing economy. Transform means a big change in appearance or in essence. The Internet has transformed how we live our day-to-day lives, but you wouldn't say that moving a throw pillow has transformed your living room.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transform transforms transformed transforming

Cyber-security experts told the BBC it was an unprecedented move for hackers to effectively transform an app notification system into a "ransom note".

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

A major marketer has found a way to transform seemingly unremarkable packaged goods into chatty livestreams, Natasha Khan writes for The Wall Street Journal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

AI may transform the data-center market, but that does not mean this is the project that will help do it.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

This process can also transform the minerals and textures within the rock, a phenomenon known as metamorphism.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

It seemed that people failed to meet my eye, made as if to walk through me; my superstitions began to transform themselves into something like mania.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

There is a case that it could be, if AI joins labor and capital as a third factor of production—if, in other words, it completely transforms the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Meanwhile, with “In My Life,” listeners are treated to multiple takes in which Martin transforms the song’s Bach-like keyboard interlude from a Hammond organ solo into a piano flourish for the ages.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

She transforms a rainbow of blossoms into hair adornments, earrings, necklace pendants and rings, treating her homegrown organic materials like precious gems.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Their approach transforms natural killer cells, a type of immune cell known for rapidly attacking abnormal cells, into a specialized tissue resident form that can move into solid tumors and destroy cancer cells.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

She transforms the unruly bunch of us into a heavenly host of cherubim, hovering a thousand feet above the city rooftops.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

What started as an unexpected finding in genetically modified mice helped reveal the cause of an extremely rare disease, transformed how doctors diagnose it, and provided the foundation for developing a drug.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Four hundred years after monks transformed a patch of marshlands in northwest Italy into rice fields, farmer Alice Cerutti has restored a third to their natural state, prioritising biodiversity over crop yield.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

The typically sandy sections of Main Beach — where locals often gather to walk along the sand and play beach volleyball — were transformed into a sea of water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

An influx of year-round buyers has transformed Stowe, Vt., into an all-season destination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The moment his skin touched the smooth stone, the grunts from the creature transformed into the voice of a youthful boy, who sounded about as old as Nathan.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

A wave of investment has brought luxury hotels, restaurants and real estate, transforming Paradise Bay, or Cennet Koyu, into a sophisticated coastal enclave.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

He added in a report published on its website: "AI will change how work is done across industries, impacting some jobs, transforming thers and creating entirely new roles that we're only beginning to imagine."

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

The four-bedroom, three-bathroom abode has been listed for $10.3 million, and it still includes some of the design elements she hand-picked while transforming the home before her death.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

From Greater Manchester to north London, organisations and volunteers are transforming former industrial land and neglected parks into habitats for wildlife and places for people to enjoy.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

"Something strange and miraculous and transforming is taking place in me right now . . . as I stand here before you!"

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

Related Words

• alter
• convert
• mold
• mutate
• reconstruct
• remodel
• revamp
• revolutionize
• transfer
• translate