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
Prosecutors met last weekend to finalize an indictment that could be filed within days, CNN reported on Saturday.
—Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2025
Plans aren’t finalized — a petition circulating among lawmakers still needs the signatures of two-thirds of members in the House and Senate — but momentum is firmly on the side of reconvening in Topeka next month.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2025
Kardashian and West married in 2014, but their divorced was finalized in 2022.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Subsequently some agencies, including those within HHS, finalized RIFs that had already been announced.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for finalize
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Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2025
Plans aren’t finalized — a petition circulating among lawmakers still needs the signatures of two-thirds of members in the House and Senate — but momentum is firmly on the side of reconvening in Topeka next month.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2025
Kardashian and West married in 2014, but their divorced was finalized in 2022.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2025
Subsequently some agencies, including those within HHS, finalized RIFs that had already been announced.
—Andrea Hsu, NPR, 15 Oct. 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 17 Oct. 2025.
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