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

The crime is memorialized with a dust mask, one of the recovered revolvers, and the circular key ring. —James Verini, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026

But only one of them felt moved to memorialize the King in an elegiac poem. —Kim Willis, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026

The university’s top leader said at the time that Richie was not properly memorialized after her death in 2000. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2026

Quarterback Matthew Caldwell sprinted for a 50-yard run, leaving the rest of the world in a blur, and Diggins memorialized the feat in a mesmerizing snapshot. —Sports Editor, Austin American Statesman, 25 Feb. 2026

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