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

But now that the threat from Republicans has started to materialize. —Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025

The movement, which materialized rapidly online, has mobilized Moroccans across a dozen cities since Saturday. —Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025

Here is a look, in five charts, at how the situation described by the IPC materialized. —Soph Warnes, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025

There was some hope that Hyatt, a 2023 third-rounder and deep-ball specialist, would benefit this season from playing alongside Wilson, but that didn’t materialize. —Charlotte Carroll, New York Times, 2 Oct. 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