materialize

verb

ma·​te·​ri·​al·​ize mə-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌlīz 

materialized; materializing

transitive verb

1

a

: to make material : objectify

b

: to cause to appear in bodily form

materialize the spirits of the dead

2

: to cause to be materialistic

intransitive verb

1

: to assume bodily form

2

a

: to appear especially suddenly

b

: to come into existence

materializer noun

Synonyms

• begin
• originate
• arise
• start
• appear
• commence
• be
• emerge

Examples of materialize in a Sentence

A waiter suddenly materialized beside our table.

Rain clouds materialized on the horizon.

Recent Examples on the Web

China is the biggest export market for American farmers, and retaliation is already materializing. —Phil Lempert, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025

All three companies have over the years been rumored to have made ouvertures to Armani, but no deal ever materialized. —Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 12 Sep. 2025

Reportedly, one of the reasons the reconciliation took so long to materialize was Queen Camilla. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 12 Sep. 2025

Even before Wednesday's campus debate erupted in bloodshed, those concerns had already materialized in real life. —Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1710, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for materialize

• contextualize
• industrialize
• materialise
• memorialize
• microenterprise
• overemphasize
• particularize
• revolutionise
• revolutionize
• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise

Kids Definition

materialize

verb

ma·​te·​ri·​al·​ize mə-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌlīz 

materialized; materializing

1

: to give material form and substance to

2

: to assume or cause to assume bodily form

a ghost materialized out of nowhere

3

a

: to come into existence

a promise that never materialized

b

: to appear suddenly