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

In the roughly six months since then, 18 service members have died, a memorandum of understanding has materialized and fallen apart, and the price of oil and gas has risen worldwide. — Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026

Washington looked like one of the NFL’s up-and-coming contenders during a breakout 2024 — but that didn’t materialize last season amid injuries, inconsistency by quarterback Jayden Daniels and one of the league’s worst defenses. — Nbc Sports, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026

Without it, that money and those jobs would simply not materialize, leaving a conspicuous financial hole in the UAE’s crucial winter tourism season. — Inzamam Rashid, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

Once that failed to materialize, sanctioning Iran became an end in itself. — Nate Swanson, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 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