verbalize

verb

ver·​bal·​ize ˈvər-bə-ˌlīz How to pronounce verbalize (audio)
verbalized; verbalizing

intransitive verb

1
: to express something in words
2
: to speak or write verbosely

transitive verb

1
: to name or express in words
2
: to convert into a verb
verbalization noun
verbalizer noun

Examples of verbalize in a Sentence

She didn't know how to verbalize her feelings. couldn't quite verbalize the cause of his mental distress
Recent Examples on the Web His team set those without needing to verbalize them. Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 24 Jan. 2024 While Navarro verbalized Romney's words, Griffin attempted to cut in several times. EW.com, 23 Oct. 2023 And while we’re not supposed to comment on body size, the pressure to shrink oneself doesn’t go away just because it’s not verbalized. TIME, 2 Feb. 2024 Godoy gave her tips on how to recognize hallucinations, so that she wouldn’t be scared by them, and encouraged her to verbalize her thoughts while in the cave, to give herself a greater sense of reality. D. T. Max, The New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2024 The auteur’s humbleness, as well as his proclivity to deploy vibrant music to verbalize what his reserved characters can’t articulate, remain the signatures of his masterful body of work. Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023 Without verbalizing a direct answer to the question. Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023 When the subjects read or verbalized sounds incompatible with their hand movements, their reaction times were noticeably slower. R. Douglas Fields, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2023 Michigan football was able to celebrate a little early during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, as Elias Rudolph, a four-star edge from Deerfield Beach, Florida, verbalized his commitment to Jim Harbaugh's program as part of the class of 2024 live on Instagram. Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press, 3 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'verbalize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

verbal entry 1 + -ize, perhaps after French verbaliser

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of verbalize was in 1609

Dictionary Entries Near verbalize

Cite this Entry

“Verbalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/verbalize. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

verbalize

verb
ver·​bal·​ize ˈvər-bə-ˌlīz How to pronounce verbalize (audio)
verbalized; verbalizing
: to express in words
found it difficult to verbalize her feelings

More from Merriam-Webster on verbalize

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