realize

verb re·al·ize \ ˈrē-ə-ˌlīz \

|Updated on: 21 Jun 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: realize in a Sentence

Definition of realize

realized; realizing

transitive verb

1 a : 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

2 a : 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

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realizable

play \ˌrē-ə-ˈlī-zə-bəl\ adjective

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realizer

noun

See realize defined for English-language learners

See realize defined for kids

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 of realize from the Web

Netflix's The Kissing Booth, which is about a teenager who falls for her best friend's older brother, proved just that when fans realized the two lead actors, Joey King and Jacob Elordi, were actually dating in real life.

— kathryn lindsay, refinery29.com, "This Fun Detail Is Why Everyone's Obsessed With Netflix's The Kissing Booth," 18 June 2018
Early construction is expected to start in the third quarter of this year, with mining work starting next year and gold production from Gilmore being realized in early 2020.

— author: elwood brehmer, Anchorage Daily News, "Interior gold mine gets new life, $100M expansion," 17 June 2018
The effort was central to Watson Health’s efforts to help realize the promise of personalized medicine and improve the efficiency of care.

— casey ross, STAT, "Citing weak demand, IBM Watson Health to scale back hospital business," 15 June 2018
Terrazzo—the word means terrace, or place of encounter—was allegedly developed when mosaics craftspeople realized that marble chips became a resilient surface when trodden into the ground.

— jessica furseth, Curbed, "How terrazzo made a comeback," 13 June 2018
Southern Oregon authorities accidentally released the wrong inmate from jail over the weekend, realized the mistake and tracked her down, according to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

— jim ryan, OregonLive.com, "Inmate released from jail by accident, found at Grants Pass hotel," 13 June 2018
Since becoming a professional sun protection advocate, she's realized just how serious a daily SPF routine really is.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "This Is Jennifer Garner's Favorite Sunscreen to Wear Under Makeup," 1 June 2018
Walter realized that this is where the extinction occurred.

— robert clark, National Geographic, "Why Today is the Golden Age for Dinosaur Discoveries," 2 June 2018
Lyttleton knew enough about driving traffic to businesses to realize that murals could coax visitors to stay awhile on their way to Julian, the desert, campgrounds and rivers.

— julie gallant, Ramona Sentinel, "Murals come a long way under Elaine Lyttleton's watch," 1 June 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.

Origin and Etymology of realize

French réaliser, from Middle French realiser, from real real

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1611

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

realize Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of 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.