verbalize

[ vur-buh-lahyz ]

/ ˈvɜr bəˌlaɪz /

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See synonyms for: verbalize / verbalization on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), ver·bal·ized, ver·bal·iz·ing.

to express in words: He couldn't verbalize his feelings.

Grammar. to convert into a verb: to verbalize “butter” into “to butter.”

verb (used without object), ver·bal·ized, ver·bal·iz·ing.

to use many words; be verbose.

to express something verbally.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Also especially British, ver·bal·ise .

Origin of verbalize

First recorded in 1600–10; verbal + -ize; compare French verbaliser

OTHER WORDS FROM verbalize

ver·bal·i·za·tion, nounver·bal·iz·er, nounnon·ver·bal·ized, adjectiveun·ver·bal·ized, adjective

Words nearby verbalize

verbal auxiliary, verbal irony, verbalism, verbalist, verbality, verbalize, verbally, verbal noun, verbascum, verbatim, verbatim et literatim

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use verbalize in a sentence

I verbalized what I wanted to accomplish, and then I went and did it every day.
Portland Trail Blazers CJ McCollum on Dreaming Big, Working Hard|Isabelle Lee|February 13, 2022|Ozy
Her voice is all grace and clarity as it moves across her throat, but when it’s time to verbalize the melody, she becomes artfully tentative, making her lyrics go soft and chewy in her mouth.
Yes, you can judge this Snoh Aalegra album by its cover|Chris Richards|July 30, 2021|Washington Post
It brings back how hard it was to speak up, to verbalize it all for the first time.
Simone Biles was abandoned by American Olympic officials, and the torment hasn’t stopped|Sally Jenkins|July 29, 2021|Washington Post
Remote experiences deny therapists the nonverbal signals—how a person is sitting, bodily ticks like foot-tapping—that help them observe feelings a client isn’t verbalizing.
Uyghurs outside China are traumatized. Now they’re starting to talk about it|Andrew McCormick|June 16, 2021|MIT Technology Review

As she told The Lily earlier this year, writing was a means of self-expression when she found herself unable to verbalize her thoughts.
Amanda Gorman reads poem ‘The Hill We Climb’ at inauguration|Amy B Wang|January 20, 2021|Washington Post
Whether she can verbalize it or not, family does seemingly come first.
15 Hilarious Pageant Moments||June 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In trying to explain and verbalize their shock, many British Jews made reference, in some way or another, to the Blood Libel.
A 10-Point Guide To Anti-Semitism And Its Perception|Mark Gardner|February 14, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They wont have to wait for the Council to verbalize a measure.
The Variable Man|Philip K. Dick
It was getting tiresome to try to verbalize something she only felt.
Omnilingual|H. Beam Piper
It is induced in his hearers, and they verbalize it, re-enforcing it in themselves and in him.
Naudsonce|H. Beam Piper

British Dictionary definitions for verbalize

verbalize

verbalise

/ (ˈvɜːbəˌlaɪz) /

verb

to express (an idea, feeling, etc) in words

to change (any word that is not a verb) into a verb or derive a verb from (any word that is not a verb)

(intr) to be verbose

Derived forms of verbalize

verbalization or verbalisation, nounverbalizer or verbaliser, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verbalize

Origin of verbalize

OTHER WORDS FROM verbalize

Words nearby verbalize

Words related to verbalize

How to use verbalize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for verbalize

verbalise

Derived forms of verbalize