visualize

verb vi·su·al·ize \ ˈvi-zhə-wə-ˌlīz , ˈvi-zhə-ˌlīz , ˈvizh-wə-ˌlīz \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

Definition of visualize

visualized; visualizing

transitive verb

: to make visible: such as

a : to see or form a mental image of : envisage

trying to visualize the problem

b : to make (an internal organ or part) visible by radiographic visualization

intransitive verb

: to form a mental visual image

See visualize defined for English-language learners

See visualize defined for kids

Examples of visualize in a Sentence

She tried to visualize the scene he was describing.
Before you swing, visualize yourself hitting the ball.

Recent Examples of visualize from the Web

At the heart of the work was an attempt to visualize patterns in the language Cicero would use with various groups of friends.

— josh macht, BostonGlobe.com, "Can tech save the humanities?," 6 Apr. 2018
The company offers to businesses a portal that visualizes company and customer data — a live view of all sorts of things a CEO might need to know about his or her company in one software platform.

— theodore schleifer, Recode, "Domo, the once secretive $2 billion software company led by Josh James, is moving to go public," 5 Apr. 2018
All this talk of plane geometry is hard to visualize, so L’Engle’s 1962 novel comes complete with a diagram.

— refinery29.com, "A Wrinkle In Time," 7 Mar. 2018
One of the film’s patients is told he will never walk again without major back surgery and metal rods but manages to overcome his spine fractures through visualizing the problem combined with exercises.

— marc siegel, Slate Magazine, "The New Documentary Heal Makes Important Points About Staying Positive," 2 Jan. 2018
Here are the circumstances that give our state its grim distinction -- who, what, when, where and why -- visualized.

— author: egan millard, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska: Gun death capital of the US," 10 Mar. 2016
In the pantomime, a big rain boot becomes Black Beauty and a small boot symbolizes another horse, allowing kids to use their imaginations to visualize the story.

— ward morehouse iii, The Christian Science Monitor, "5 really good off-Broadway shows," 20 Mar. 2018
This is a world OMSI’s upcoming exhibit, Robot Revolution, aims to visualize.

— OregonLive.com, "The robots are coming: Robot Revolution at OMSI offers a glimpse into the future," 14 Mar. 2018
Seeing your struggles and fears visualized and vocalized on screen — assuming they are treated respectfully (e.g. not being played by Emma Stone a la Aloha) — is both validating and comforting.

— ciara wardlow, The Hollywood Reporter, "The Idealized Diversity of 'A Wrinkle in Time'," 9 Mar. 2018

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