crystallize
verb
crys·tal·lize
ˈkri-stə-ˌlīz 
variants
or less commonly crystalize
crystallized; crystallizing
1
: to cause to form crystals or assume crystalline form
2
: to cause to take a definite form
tried to crystallize his thoughts
3
: to coat with crystals especially of sugar
crystallize grapes
: to become crystallized
crystallizer
noun
Examples of crystallize in a Sentence
Eventually the paint will start to crystallize.
Certain conditions can cause carbon to crystallize into diamonds.
Certain conditions can crystallize carbon into diamonds.
The final paragraph of the essay crystallizes her theory.
He tried to crystallize his thoughts.
Her theory crystallizes in the final paragraph of the essay.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ice cream and frozen treats: Since invert sugar crystallizes more slowly and less frequently than other sugars, it is widely used in frozen treats like ice cream.
—
Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 8 May 2025
Many enduring genres crystallized in the mid-thirties—the screwball comedy, the grand-scale action adventure, big-boned literary adaptations, the modern musical (a template exemplified by the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers)—and all were illuminated and endorsed by Sennwald.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 7 May 2025
The oil molecules in seeds also break apart and create impurities that affect how the oils crystallize when they’re cooled.
—Katarina Zimmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2025
The season is a month old, and some of the Phillies’ thinking is crystallizing.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crystallize
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Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 8 May 2025
Many enduring genres crystallized in the mid-thirties—the screwball comedy, the grand-scale action adventure, big-boned literary adaptations, the modern musical (a template exemplified by the films of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers)—and all were illuminated and endorsed by Sennwald.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 7 May 2025
The oil molecules in seeds also break apart and create impurities that affect how the oils crystallize when they’re cooled.
—Katarina Zimmer, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 May 2025
The season is a month old, and some of the Phillies’ thinking is crystallizing.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crystallize
Cite this Entry
“Crystallize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crystallize. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crystallize
verb
crys·tal·lize
ˈkris-tə-ˌlīz
crystallized; crystallizing
1
a
: to cause to form crystals or assume crystalline form
b
: to become crystallized
2
: to take or cause to take definite form
the plan crystallized slowly
Medical Definition
crystallize
verb
crys·tal·lize
variants
also crystalize
also British crystallise
or crystalise
crystallized also crystallized also British crystallised or crystallised; crystallizing also crystallizing also British crystallising or crystallising
: to cause to form crystals or assume crystalline form
especially
: to cause to form perfect or large crystals
: to become crystallized
—often used with out
the solid crystallized out
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