visualize
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to make visual or visible.
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to form a mental image of.
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to make perceptible to the mind or imagination.
verb
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to form a mental image of (something incapable of being viewed or not at that moment visible)
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med to view by means of an X-ray the outline of (a bodily organ, structure, or part)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of visualize
Explanation
To visualize something is to be able to see it in your mind. From the twitching in their feet, it seems that sleeping dogs often visualize a fenced-in area and about 30 squirrels. Visualizing is a lot like imagining — both involve picturing something in your mind. But while imagine has the sense of wondering and exploring, when you visualize something, your hope is to make it real. Basketball players visualize themselves making a shot to help them sink the basketball in the hoop. Visualize yourself getting the job as you're going in to be interviewed and your chances for success will increase.
Vocabulary lists containing visualize
Common Senses: Vid, Vis ("See")
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Hatchet
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STAAR Grade 8 Reading: The Language of the Test, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Here’s why: Visualize your retirement as a three-legged stool.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 27, 2026
Visualize getting into the car and driving — successfully — on the freeway.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2024
“Imagine the following scene. Visualize it in your mind’s eye, as vividly as you can: a person walks into a room and knocks a ball off a table.”
From Scientific American • Jul. 20, 2023
Visualize sticking a dismount or handspringing across the floor, and you’ll understand why.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2022
“Therefore we need only probe your knowledge and speed and stamina. We need no enemy for this. The enemy is always in the mind. Visualize him.”
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
