definitions

verbalize

[ vur-buh-lahyz ]
/ ˈvɜr bəˌlaɪz /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR verbalize 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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RELATED WORDS

chat, whisper, pronounce, articulate, say, rap, utter, blab, mumble, vocalize, shout, state, yak, tell, express, converse, communicate, enunciate, mouth, gab

Nearby words

verbal irony, verbal noun, verbalism, verbalist, verbality, verbalize, verbally, verbascum, verbatim, verbatim et literatim, verbena
Also especially British, ver·bal·ise.

Origin of verbalize

1600–10; verbal + -ize; compare French verbaliser
Related formsver·bal·i·za·tion, nounver·bal·iz·er, nounnon·ver·bal·ized, adjectiveun·ver·bal·ized, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for verbalize

  • Whether she can verbalize it or not, family does seemingly come first.

    15 Hilarious Pageant Moments||June 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST

  • It is induced in his hearers, and they verbalize it, re-enforcing it in themselves and in him.

    Naudsonce|H. Beam Piper

  • It was getting tiresome to try to verbalize something she only felt.

    Omnilingual|H. Beam Piper

  • They wont have to wait for the Council to verbalize a measure.

    The Variable Man|Philip K. Dick

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 Formsverbalization 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

Word Origin and History for verbalize

verbalize

v.

c.1600, "use too many words," from French verbaliser (16c.); see verbal. Meaning "express in words" is attested from 1875. Related: Verbalized; verbalizing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper