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winterize

American  
[win-tuh-rahyz] / ˈwɪn təˌraɪz /
especially British, winterise

verb (used with object)

  • winterizes,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • winterized,
    past participle,  past
  • winterizing
    present participle
  1. to prepare (an automobile, house, etc.) for cold weather by (in automobiles) adding antifreeze and changing oil or (in houses) adding insulation, heating units, etc.


verb (used without object)

  • winterizes,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • winterized,
    past participle,  past
  • winterizing
    present participle
  1. to winterize an automobile, house, etc.

winterize British  
/ ˈwɪntəˌraɪz /

verb

  1. (tr) to prepare (a house, car, etc) to withstand winter conditions

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future


Etymology

Origin of winterize

First recorded in 1925–30; winter + -ize


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.

See Examples For:

After the 2021 disaster, Texas required power producers to winterize their plants better.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

A far-reaching bill sent Sunday night to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott would require some power generators to winterize against extreme cold following one of the most massive blackouts in U.S. history.

From Seattle Times ● May 30, 2021

The issue was electricity providers failing to heed warnings to winterize their aging infrastructure, which buckled when the cold hit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 18, 2021

“You can’t be freezing and enjoy dinner,” said Payal Sharma, a co-owner who said the restaurant was spending $20,000 to winterize.

From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2020

The refu­gee agency appealed for nearly $100 million to winterize tents and sanitation systems while it warned of more deaths among refugees “if adequate measures are not taken.”

From Washington Post ● Nov. 5, 2015

In the fall, Keith comes home and winterizes all of his mother’s equipment.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 2, 2018

After the harvest, he carries the bees back to his Bedford operation and winterizes them.

From New York Times ● Jul. 30, 2011

Texas power plants and gas infrastructure are simply not winterized to withstand extreme cold, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission report found.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 26, 2023

The Seattle Parks and Recreation Department has planted trees, winterized the Portland Loo public restroom, removed graffiti, installed café-style lighting and added five new benches, among other improvements.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 11, 2023

Fully renovated, winterized with radiant heat; property includes one-acre private island and beach, walking trails.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 20, 2022

New York is set to open a winterized tent shelter for newly arrived asylum seekers on Randalls Island on Wednesday.

From New York Times ● Oct. 18, 2022

Last year, when Texas had those rolling blackouts, it turned out that the natural gas lines, which were not winterized, had frozen over, and people froze to death in their homes.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2022

The Parks department expects to complete routine winterizing by early December, closing 47 facilities to prevent freezing pipes.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2023

Brooks countered that the proposal calls for winterizing the stadium so the Brewers can rent it out year-round for events such as concerts, generating more sales tax for the state and local governments.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 5, 2023

Watts estimates that properly winterizing a home in Houston would cost about $5,000 — “that’s a safe number.”

From Washington Post ● Feb. 23, 2021

As could refiguring the way customers in a network pay for their power, to fund those winterizing efforts or make room for more reserve power.

From Slate ● Feb. 17, 2021

Engineers normally tasked with upkeeping conveyor belts instead started building dividers made from what they had at the time: PVC pipes and non-porous shrink wrap for winterizing boats.

From National Geographic ● Feb. 8, 2021

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