vocalize

[ voh-kuh-lahyz ]
See synonyms for: vocalizevocalizedvocalizingvocalization on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),vo·cal·ized, vo·cal·iz·ing.
  1. to make vocal; utter; articulate; sing.

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

  1. Phonetics.

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

verb (used without object),vo·cal·ized, vo·cal·iz·ing.
  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.

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

  2. Phonetics. to become changed into a vowel.

Origin of vocalize

1
First recorded in 1660–70; vocal + -ize
  • Also especially British, vo·cal·ise .

Other words from vocalize

  • vo·cal·i·za·tion, noun
  • vo·cal·iz·er, noun
  • mis·vo·cal·i·za·tion, noun
  • non·vo·cal·i·za·tion, noun
  • sub·vo·cal·ize, verb, sub·vo·cal·ized, sub·vo·cal·iz·ing.
  • un·vo·cal·ized, adjective

Words Nearby vocalize

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use vocalize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vocalize

vocalize

vocalise

/ (ˈvəʊkəˌlaɪz) /


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

  2. (tr) to make vocal or articulate

  1. (tr) phonetics

    • to articulate (a speech sound) with voice

    • to change (a consonant) into a vowel

  2. another word for vowelize

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

Derived forms of vocalize

  • vocalization or vocalisation, noun
  • vocalizer or vocaliser, 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