vocalize

American  

[voh-kuh-lahyz] / ˈvoʊ kəˌlaɪz /

especially British, vocalise

verb (used with object)

• vocalizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• vocalized,
  past participle,  past
• vocalizing
  present participle

1. to make vocal; utter; articulate; sing.

2. to endow with a voice; cause to utter.

3. Phonetics.

   1. to voice.

   2. to change into a vowel (contrasted with consonantalize).

4. (of Hebrew, Arabic, and other writing systems that do not usually indicate vowels) to furnish with vowels or vowel points.

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verb (used without object)

• vocalizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• vocalized,
  past participle,  past
• vocalizing
  present participle

1. to use the voice, as in speech or song.

2. to sing without uttering words, especially to warm up the voice, practice vowel sounds, etc., before a performance.

3. to sing scales, arpeggios, trills, or the like, usually to a solmization syllable or a vowel sound.

4. Phonetics. to become changed into a vowel.

vocalize British  

/ ˈvəʊkəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to express with or use the voice; articulate (a speech, song, etc)

2. (tr) to make vocal or articulate

3. (tr) phonetics

   1. to articulate (a speech sound) with voice

   2. to change (a consonant) into a vowel

4. another word for vowelize

5. (intr) to sing a melody on a vowel, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• misvocalization
  noun
• nonvocalization
  noun
• vocalization
  noun
• vocalizer
  noun
• subvocalize
  verb
• unvocalized
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• vocalizing
  present
• vocalized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• vocalize
  simple
• vocalizes
  simple
• have vocalized
  perfect
• has vocalized
  perfect
• am vocalizing
  progressive
• are vocalizing
  progressive
• is vocalizing
  progressive
• have been vocalizing
  perfect progressive
• has been vocalizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• vocalized
  simple
• had vocalized
  perfect
• was vocalizing
  progressive
• were vocalizing
  progressive
• had been vocalizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will vocalize
  simple
• will have vocalized
  perfect
• will be vocalizing
  progressive
• will have been vocalizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of vocalize

First recorded in 1660–70; vocal + -ize

Explanation

When you speak, sing, or utter any kind of sound, you vocalize. A tiny baby can only vocalize gurgles and coos, but by the time she's three or four, she'll vocalize all kinds of opinions. Vocalize literally means to make a noise using your voice — in fact, vocalize is rooted in the Latin root word for "voice," vox. It's nearly a synonym for verbalize, "put into words," except that when you vocalize you may speak using words or you may merely make noises. So while your dog is smart enough to vocalize a response when you say, "Speak," he's still not smart enough to verbalize.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vocalize vocalizes vocalized vocalizing

“So, I went up on my medicine and I see my therapist. I try to see her every Wednesday, and I try to vocalize a lot when I’m feeling overwhelmed.”

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024

They can vocalize at extremely low frequencies and in so doing communicate with other whales as far down into the ocean as 100 meters deep.

From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2024

“It’s an outlet for some kids to be able to outwardly express and vocalize something that’s bothering them,” she said.

From New York Times ● Feb. 6, 2024

When they found each other again, they started to vocalize and re-bonded with each other, according to officials with the humane society.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2023

He didn’t vocalize his concerns, out of fear that he’d just make everyone else feel as miserable as him.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

The lights flash on as Springsteen vocalizes, finishing the sentence: “War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.”

From Salon ● May 28, 2026

She mostly vocalizes, sometimes on the syllable “ah,” sometimes on “mm” and sometimes — most memorably at the end — on “shh.”

From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2023

It’s a tale of sound; the song of a solitary whale that vocalizes at a unique frequency, 52 Hertz, that no other whale—as the story goes—can seemingly understand.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 28, 2021

“I don’t want press to put your name next to mine, we’re on different lines,” she vocalizes while casually plucking a pastry from a Donuts and Coffee stand in the middle of the mall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2020

Lehmann seated herself at the piano and asked for scales and vocalizes.

From Vocal Mastery Talks with Master Singers and Teachers by Harriette Brower

In days following public demonstrations and protests, several Mexican American artists have vocalized their support of the immigrant communities including big acts like Ivan Cornejo, Becky G, and Chiquis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025

These vocalizations agitated Rani, who circled and vocalized in a brief burst before collapsing.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 19, 2023

Biden had previously vocalized his concerns to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call last week.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2023

Because the bats spend so much time huddled together and fly so quickly, it can be hard to identify them or figure out which bat vocalized.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 16, 2023

Kendra realized the problem before Seth vocalized it.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

"It's reacting, it has both eyes open, it's vocalizing, but it's incredibly uncertain and it's scared," he said.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026

It wasn’t until recent weeks that people began really vocalizing their animosity.

From Slate ● Feb. 27, 2026

Despite years of industry leaders vocalizing a need for greater diversity in executive suites and decision-making roles, and the chronic inequity remaining a punchline for award show jokes, the climate has changed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026

Hundreds of billions of dollars were wiped from public markets after prominent CEOs and analysts started publicly vocalizing concerns about an AI bubble.

From Barron's ● Nov. 20, 2025

Still, decisions about crescendos and decrescendos, tempo, and score reading have to be made, but there are endless possibilities for vocalizing and playing these child-centered compositions.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin