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 of materialize

• 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

Electricity tore through a blue-violet sky and an enormous electric chair materialized above Hetfield. — Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026

If their hopes materialized, Hungarians would be able to keep it all—and their freedom. — Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026

In its statement, the RBA said some of the upside risks flagged in its August meeting were now materializing. — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026

Business continuity treats disruption as the baseline condition and designs operations accordingly, with integrated data, predictive intelligence and prebuilt response playbooks that activate before a situation has fully materialized. — Abha Dogra, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1710, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for materialize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

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