finalize
verb
fi·nal·ize
ˈfī-nə-ˌlīz 
finalized; finalizing
1
: to put in final or finished form
soon my conclusion will be finalized—
D. D. Eisenhower
D. D. Eisenhower2
: to give final approval to
finalizing the papers prepared … by his staff—Newsweek
Newsweek
Usage of Finalize
Finalize has been frequently castigated as an unnecessary neologism or as U.S. government gobbledygook. It appears to have first gained currency in Australia (where it has been acceptable all along) in the early 1920s. The U.S. Navy picked it up in the late 20s, and from there it came into widespread use. It is a standard formation (see -ize). Currently, it is most frequently used in government and business dealings; it usually is not found in belles-lettres.
Examples of finalize in a Sentence
They are finalizing their divorce this week.
We bought our tickets and finalized our vacation plans.
Recent Examples on the Web
The two married in 1993 in Seattle and were married for 25 years before their divorce was finalized in 2019.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Roughly six weeks before the A-listers finalized their divorce in late December, a Los Angeles judge ruled in favor of Pitt’s bid to bring the winery case to trial.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg news that a framework between China and the U.S. on trade had been finalized.
—Brian Evans,alex Harring, CNBC, 26 June 2025
Beyond a $275 million fine related to collecting personal information for players under the age of 13, the settlement, which was finalized in 2023, included $245 million in customer refunds.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for finalize
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Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 27 June 2025
Roughly six weeks before the A-listers finalized their divorce in late December, a Los Angeles judge ruled in favor of Pitt’s bid to bring the winery case to trial.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg news that a framework between China and the U.S. on trade had been finalized.
—Brian Evans,alex Harring, CNBC, 26 June 2025
Beyond a $275 million fine related to collecting personal information for players under the age of 13, the settlement, which was finalized in 2023, included $245 million in customer refunds.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for finalize
Cite this Entry
“Finalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/finalize. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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