What does "realize" mean?
To become aware of, understand, or appreciate (a fact or situation, especially something which has been true for some time).
Realize
/ˈɹɪə.laɪz/ verb
verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To become aware of, understand, or appreciate (a fact or situation, especially something which has been true for some time).
- Grammar: realize is listed as verb.
- Nearest alternatives: earn, gain, recognize, understand.
- Useful contrasts: symbolic implement, cubist influenced, dash.
- Usage evidence: Sarah was discerning enough to realize that her friends were trying to prank her.
How to use "realize"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "realize" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "realize" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "realize" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "realize" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "realize" is acting as verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "earn" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "realize", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To become aware of, understand, or appreciate (a fact or situation, especially something which has been true for some time). US, transitive
"He realized that he had left his umbrella on the train."
- 2 perceive (an idea or situation) mentally wordnet
- 3 To sense (something) strongly or vividly as if real. US, transitive
"Over the mind of the tourist, visiting the Old World for the first time,—countries where have transpired thrilling events recorded in history, what an immensity of thought and feeling sweeps! It was thus with Natalie; she could not realize that she was treading in the footsteps of royalty, who living in long past days, had held sway over this land, had looked upon this land of "merrie England" as their home."
- 4 be fully aware or cognizant of wordnet
- 5 To cause (something) to seem real; to make realistic; specifically, to present (something) clearly to the mind, a person, (archaic) oneself, etc., so that it seems real. transitive
"Its true that Faith may be ſaid, as you ſpeak, to Realize ſalvation to the Soul; that is, vvhen the Soul doubteth vvhether there be indeed ſuch a Glory and Salvation to be expected and enjoyed by Believers, as Chriſt hath promiſed, here Faith apprehendeth it as Real or Certain, and ſo reſolves the doubt."
Show 20 more definitions
- 6 make real or concrete; give reality or substance to wordnet
- 7 To convert (something imaginary or planned, as a goal or idea) into reality; to bring into real existence, to make real. transitive
"Near-synonyms: implement, execute; actualize, materialize, embody; accomplish"
- 8 expand or complete (a part in a piece of baroque music) by supplying the harmonies indicated in the figured bass wordnet
- 9 To achieve (one's) potential. reflexive, transitive
- 10 convert into cash; of goods and property wordnet
- 11 To convert (an asset or property, especially investments such as bonds, shares, etc.) into a more easily usable form such as money, especially by selling the asset or property. transitive
"By realizing the company’s assets, the liquidator was able to return most of the shareholders’ investments."
- 12 earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages wordnet
- 13 To acquire (money, a profit, etc.) by selling an asset or property, through trade, etc.; also (followed by on), to make (money or a profit) on an investment, a venture, etc. transitive
"to realize large profits from a speculation"
- 14 Of an asset or property: to generate (a specific amount of money or interest) when invested or sold. transitive
- 15 To turn (an abstract linguistic object, especially a phoneme) into a speech sound actually used in a language. transitive
"The southern /v/ is realized as the voiced approximant [ʋ]."
- 16 To obtain an entity from (an abstract group or structure). transitive
- 17 To arrange (a musical work written for a single performer) to be performed by an orchestra; to orchestrate. transitive
- 18 To complete (a musical work which is incomplete or not fully notated). transitive
- 19 Chiefly in Baroque music: to play an accompaniment, harmonies, etc., based on (a figured bass). transitive
- 20 To have an actual or real experience of (something). US, obsolete, transitive
- 21 To become aware of or understand a fact or situation. intransitive
- 22 To cause to seem real; to make realistic. intransitive
"[Johann Wolfgang von] Goethe never sculptured an Apollo, nor painted a Madonna. He gives us only sinful Magdalens and rampant Fauns. He does not so much idealize as realize."
- 23 To convert an asset or property into a more easily usable form such as money. intransitive
"A lucky purchase which he had made of shares in a copper-mine added very considerably to his wealth, and he realised with great prudence while this mine was still at its full vogue."
- 24 Followed by on or upon: to acquire money or a profit from the sale of an asset or property. intransitive
- 25 With an adverb like badly or well: of an asset or property being sold: to generate little or a lot of money. intransitive, obsolete
"The estate is expected to realize well as it comprises many valuable assets."
Example
"Sarah was discerning enough to realize that her friends were trying to prank her."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "realize"?
Common synonyms include: earn, gain, recognize, understand, absorb, accomplish.
How do you use "realize" in a sentence?
Sarah was discerning enough to realize that her friends were trying to prank her.
How do you pronounce "realize"?
Pronounced /ˈɹɪə.laɪz/.
Etymology
PIE word *reh₁ís From real (adjective) + -ize (suffix denoting the making of what is indicated by the word it is attached to), possibly modelled after French réaliser, Middle French réaliser (“to make real; to convert (something) into assets or cash”), from real (“actual, real”) + -iser (suffix denoting the making of what is indicated by the word it is attached to). Real is derived from Old French reel, from Latin reālis (“actual, real”), from rēs (“deed; event; matter; thing”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *reh₁ís (“goods; wealth”)) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship).