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
The scene proper didn’t really crystallize until the mid-2010s, when Lofi Girl and other online hotspots cropped up.
—
Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 2 July 2025
Parlaying a performance like Wednesday’s into something more sustainable would crystallize the club’s focus toward the July 31 trade deadline.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 11 June 2025
Throughout, Akasha made DMT in mason jars and sold it to meditation circles and at music festivals, using whatever freezer was at hand to crystallize his solutions and sourcing bark from a website in the Netherlands that his DMT tutor had told him about.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 22 May 2025
Career stability is often in place, life is in full swing, and the vision for the next few decades starts to crystallize.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 20 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for crystallize
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Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 2 July 2025
Parlaying a performance like Wednesday’s into something more sustainable would crystallize the club’s focus toward the July 31 trade deadline.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 11 June 2025
Throughout, Akasha made DMT in mason jars and sold it to meditation circles and at music festivals, using whatever freezer was at hand to crystallize his solutions and sourcing bark from a website in the Netherlands that his DMT tutor had told him about.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 22 May 2025
Career stability is often in place, life is in full swing, and the vision for the next few decades starts to crystallize.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 20 May 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 8 Jul. 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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