memorialize

verb

me·​mo·​ri·​al·​ize mə-ˈmȯr-ē-ə-ˌlīz 

memorialized; memorializing

transitive verb

1

: to address or petition by a memorial

2

a

: to serve as a memorial of : commemorate

a statue memorializing the event

b

: to do or create something that causes people to remember (a person, thing, or event)

a period in history that has been memorialized in countless films

memorialization

mə-ˌmȯr-ē-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

-ˌlī-ˈzā-

noun

Synonyms of memorialize

• commemorate

Examples of memorialize in a Sentence

an exciting period in history that has been memorialized in many popular books and movies

at the entrance to the park stands a statue memorializing the novelist Sir Walter Scott

Recent Examples on the Web

Posters were made to memorialize it. —The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025

Elucid and billy woods trade verses sniping the quick rise of artificial intelligence, memorializing their neighborhoods, and trying to slow the roll of soul-crushing news. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 7 Nov. 2025

Preserving artifacts and retelling the stories of shipwrecks keeps the memories of the victims alive, Horn said, and in learning the stories people across Michigan may continue to memorialize their lives by never growing complacent on the waters of the Great Lakes. —Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025

Louisiana's governor on Monday night called on the state's largest university to erect a statue memorializing Charlie Kirk. —Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for memorialize

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

Kids Definition

memorialize

verb

me·​mo·​ri·​al·​ize mə-ˈmōr-ē-ə-ˌlīz 

-ˈmȯr-

memorialized; memorializing

: commemorate sense 1

memorialization

-ˌmōr-ē-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

-ˌmȯr-

noun