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

Now, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced that this historic moment will be memorialized in New York with a set of 12 murals appearing throughout all five of the city’s boroughs, each designed by a local artist. — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 14 July 2026

Jack Manning knows firsthand the emotional and practical challenge of memorializing a loved one in a way that feels appropriate. — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 13 July 2026

Walt Hazzard, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard during the John Wooden era of UCLA basketball, will have his legacy memorialized as one of the all-time great college players. — Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 13 July 2026

One $10,000 loan, memorialized in a note scribbled in Vietnamese, called for $100 a day in interest. — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for memorialize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

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