realize

verb

re·al·ize | \ ˈrē-ə-ˌlīz

realized; realizing

Definition of realize

transitive verb

1a : to bring into concrete existence : accomplish finally realized her goal

b : to cause to seem real : make appear real a book in which the characters are carefully realized

2a : to convert into actual money realized assets

b : to bring or get by sale, investment, or effort : gain realized a large profit

3 : to conceive vividly as real : be fully aware of did not realize the risk she was taking

Other Words from realize Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about realize

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Choose the Right Synonym for realize

think, conceive, imagine, fancy, realize, envisage, envision mean to form an idea of. think implies the entrance of an idea into one's mind with or without deliberate consideration or reflection. I just thought of a good joke conceive suggests the forming and bringing forth and usually developing of an idea, plan, or design. conceived of a new marketing approach imagine stresses a visualization. imagine you're at the beach fancy suggests an imagining often unrestrained by reality but spurred by desires. fancied himself a super athlete realize stresses a grasping of the significance of what is conceived or imagined. realized the enormity of the task ahead envisage and envision imply a conceiving or imagining that is especially clear or detailed. envisaged a totally computerized operation envisioned a cure for the disease

Examples of realize in a Sentence

They did not realize the risk that was involved. He finally realized the scope of the problem. She realizes how much things have changed. Do you realize how difficult that stunt is? You just have to realize that you can't always get what you want. She slowly realized what he was trying to say. He realized a lifelong dream by winning an Olympic medal. He finally realized his ambition to start his own business.

Recent Examples on the Web

But the changing tax law itself may have also affected the numbers at the margins, as people realized during 2017 that the Trump administration wasn’t going to cut capital-gains... — Richard Rubin, WSJ, "Capital Gains Jumped in Final Year Before Tax Cut Started," 28 Feb. 2019 People quickly realized the power of deep convolutional networks The AlexNet paper was a sensation in the academic machine learning community, but its significance was also quickly recognized in industry. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "How computers got shockingly good at recognizing images," 18 Dec. 2018 Something that many people don't realize about STD tests is that generally, physicians don't test for herpes. — Yerin Kim, Seventeen, "What Is Herpes and How Do I Know if I Have It?," 11 Dec. 2018 The concept that people don’t realize how many contractors there are at Google, and these are people without rights, essentially. — Shirin Ghaffary, Recode, "After 20,000 workers walked out, Google said it got the message. The workers disagree.," 21 Nov. 2018 Players quickly realized this week that the grand piano was not just a prop but a fully functional instrument. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: The sordid tale of Starbreeze's stumbles, Overwatch players learn piano (with guns)," 1 Feb. 2019 Still, few people realize that the Tennessee native's connection to country music runs even deeper than her own songs. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "How Is Dolly Parton Related to Miley Cyrus?," 10 Feb. 2019 Conrad Carr, one of Hemsworth's friends, accidentally shared the private images without realizing there was a no-photo policy for the cozy ceremony. — Nicole Saunders, Harper's BAZAAR, "Miley Cyrus Wrote the Most Romantic Message to Liam Hemsworth for His Birthday," 14 Jan. 2019 Researchers realized interpersonal skills and camaraderie would be critical to success. — Stephen Ornes, Discover Magazine, "Want to be a Mars Astronaut? You'll Need the Proper Mindset," 16 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'realize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near realize

realizably

realization

realization and liquidation account

Statistics for realize

Last Updated

12 Apr 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for realize

The first known use of realize was circa 1611

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More Definitions for realize

realize

verb

English Language Learners Definition of realize

: to understand or become aware of (something)

: to cause (something) to become real

formal : to achieve (something, such as a goal, dream, etc.)

See the full definition for realize in the English Language Learners Dictionary

realize

verb

re·al·ize | \ ˈrē-ə-ˌlīz

realized; realizing

Kids Definition of realize

1 : to be aware of : understand Do they realize the danger?

2 : to bring into being : accomplish The war looked like my chance to realize my old dream of flying.— Richard Peck, A Long Way from Chicago

3 : to get as a result of effort : gain Will your business realize a profit?

realize

transitive verb

re·al·ize | \ ˈrē-ə-ˌlīz

realized; realizing

Legal Definition of realize

1 : to convert into money

2 : to obtain or incur (as a gain or loss) especially as the result of a sale, exchange, or other disposition of an asset realized a loss when the house was sold — compare recognize