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 There was external pressure to shake up the Avs’ DNA after a third-straight early exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but Joe Sakic and Chris MacFarland felt this group — transformed dramatically throughout last season with little time to congeal before the playoffs — deserved another chance. Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 15 Aug. 2025 In a show claiming to transform people’s health, what did the contestants’ regimens look like? Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2025 The Hardys put their design superpowers to work to transform this downtown Bardstown three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment into a five-star vacation rental located in the downtown core. Karla Walsh, Travel + Leisure, 15 Aug. 2025 In High Performing Family Offices, the book lays out a blueprint for how elite families are transforming their offices from legacy-holding structures into long-term enterprises driven by purpose, performance, and professionalism. Robert Daugherty, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for transform
Recent Examples of Synonyms for transform
Verb
  • The bankruptcy court has scheduled an Aug. 19 hearing in the matter to determine whether to convert the case to Chapter 7 as PBR requests, dismiss it as requested by TBN (Merit Street’s former majority shareholder) or approve debtor-in-possession financing as Merit Street requests.
    Todd Spangler, Variety, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Additionally, the construction project would include replacing the deck on the northbound bridge and the joints on the southbound bridge, not the entire bridge, Hanna said, all while converting the interchange into a DDI.
    Liliana Fannin, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • He’s remodeled his kitchen for filming future videos.
    Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2025
  • More than six months into his term, Trump’s blitz of tariff hikes and his new tax and spending bill have remodeled America’s trading, manufacturing, energy and tax systems to his own liking.
    Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 2 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The Davis Center opened last month, transfiguring six acres at the north end of Central Park.
    Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 29 May 2025
  • In each instance, the duties of the office transfigured the man into a sign and symbol of hope in the face of death.
    The Editors, National Review, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Her letters are the key to everything: raw data for her life and the untransformed banalities which, magically transmuted, become the precious trivia of the novels.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Osbourne’s public rebirth with The Osbournes—the MTV reality series that ran from 2002 to 2005—transmuted his erratic nature and past struggles into a miraculous joke.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Transform.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transform. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on transform

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