Definition of transformnext

Synonym Chooser

How is the word transform different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of transform are convert, metamorphose, transfigure, transmogrify, and transmute. While all these words mean "to change a thing into a different thing," transform implies a major change in form, nature, or function.

transformed a small company into a corporate giant

When would convert be a good substitute for transform?

The words convert and transform are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, convert implies a change fitting something for a new or different use or function.

converted the study into a nursery

When is metamorphose a more appropriate choice than transform?

While the synonyms metamorphose and transform are close in meaning, metamorphose suggests an abrupt or startling change induced by or as if by magic or a supernatural power.

awkward girls metamorphosed into graceful ballerinas

When is it sensible to use transfigure instead of transform?

The words transfigure and transform can be used in similar contexts, but transfigure implies a change that exalts or glorifies.

joy transfigured her face

When might transmogrify be a better fit than transform?

In some situations, the words transmogrify and transform are roughly equivalent. However, transmogrify suggests a strange or preposterous metamorphosis.

a story in which a frog is transmogrified into a prince

When can transmute be used instead of transform?

The synonyms transmute and transform are sometimes interchangeable, but transmute implies transforming into a higher element or thing.

attempted to transmute lead into gold

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of transform Pidgeon was transformed by playing Bessette, a role that has now earned her an Emmy nomination, in more ways than one. Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 9 July 2026 The Indian economy is transforming as large parts of it are formalizing on the back of widespread adoption of digital technologies and changes in tax structure. Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 9 July 2026 In Denver’s Ballpark District, work is underway to transform the historic 2100 Larimer building. Jessica Alvarado Gamez, Denver Post, 9 July 2026 Matter has not transformed into intelligent substrate at this point. Quanta Magazine, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for transform
Recent Examples of Synonyms for transform
Verb
  • There are nods to the environmental devastation wrought by the cattle industry that dominated Southern California in the first half of the 19th century, as well as the Faustian bargain struck by Indigenous people who converted to Catholicism.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
  • Mark Ford Rosemary Tonks emulated French Symbolist poets before converting to Christianity and renouncing all her own works.
    The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
Verb
  • Costco requested city approval to reconfigure a portion of its parking lot and remodel a corner of the store’s building.
    Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026
  • The Leading Explanation For An Adam’s Apple Why testosterone would remodel the throat at all is the more interesting question, and the leading explanation is a matter of acoustics.
    Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Verb
  • But the filmmaker’s imagination transfigures personal history into something not of this world, wholly original, and uniquely demented.
    Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
  • Altman is the defendant in the case brought by Musk, who’s claiming that OpenAI illegally betrayed the company’s non-profit founding by transfiguring into a for-profit company last year.
    Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 7 May 2026
Verb
  • The idea that art continues to transform and transmute and change.
    Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2026
  • Afterwards, group members went on to form several other hugely meaningful outfits such as Slint, Gastr Del Sol, Bastro, Papa M and the For Carnation, transmuting Squirrel Bait’s Reagan-era aggression into more esoteric, impossible-to-classify sonic explorations.
    Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 25 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Transform.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transform. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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