materialize

verb

ma·​te·​ri·​al·​ize mə-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌlīz 

materialized; materializing

transitive verb

1

a

: to make material : objectify

b

: to cause to appear in bodily form

materialize the spirits of the dead

2

: to cause to be materialistic

intransitive verb

1

: to assume bodily form

2

a

: to appear especially suddenly

b

: to come into existence

materializer noun

Synonyms of materialize

• begin
• originate
• arise
• start
• appear
• commence
• be
• emerge

Examples of materialize in a Sentence

A waiter suddenly materialized beside our table.

Rain clouds materialized on the horizon.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Gaza ceasefire is fragile, with Trump pressing Israel to accelerate Phase 2 – but no international force has materialized to govern Gaza, and prospects of Hamas disarming seem remote. —Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 28 Dec. 2025

Dwarkesh Patel, the interviewer, asked him why the Year of the Agent had failed to materialize. —Cal Newport, New Yorker, 27 Dec. 2025

But so far, that has yet to materialized as luxury home sales in Manhattan surged in November. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 27 Dec. 2025

Before the holidays, Congress considered a few forms of relief for the premium hikes, but nothing has materialized, and significant deadlines have already passed. —Lynn Arditi, NPR, 26 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1710, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for materialize

• contextualize
• industrialize
• materialise
• memorialize
• microenterprise
• overemphasize
• particularize
• revolutionise
• revolutionize
• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise

Kids Definition

materialize

verb

ma·​te·​ri·​al·​ize mə-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌlīz 

materialized; materializing

1

: to give material form and substance to

2

: to assume or cause to assume bodily form

a ghost materialized out of nowhere

3

a

: to come into existence

a promise that never materialized

b

: to appear suddenly