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

Ida is memorialized on her husband’s grave in New York’s Woodlawn Cemetery. —Lianne Kolirin, CNN Money, 21 Nov. 2025

In the decades since her murder in 1995, Selena Quintanilla has variously been memorialized with a biopic, a docu-series, and a novel in verse exploring her far-reaching legacy. —Emma Specter, Vogue, 18 Nov. 2025

Decisions about how and where to memorialize and bury individuals also remain. —Alexandria Burris, IndyStar, 14 Nov. 2025

Bradley’s service was memorialized in the bestseller Flags of Our Fathers, later adapted into the 2006 war drama directed by Clint Eastwood. —Alexandra Rockey Fleming, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 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