materialize

verb

ma·​te·​ri·​al·​ize mə-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌlīz How to pronounce materialize (audio)
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

Examples of materialize in a Sentence

A waiter suddenly materialized beside our table. Rain clouds materialized on the horizon.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Flashback: Some Twitter employees who left in the chaotic period after Musk purchased the company, renamed it X and fired or drove out thousands of workers say they were promised severance packages that failed to materialize. Dave Lawler, Axios, 30 Jan. 2025 The Proud Boys didn’t mobilize; fears about election intimidation never materialized. Tess Owen, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2025 Previously, a union effort at a Whole Foods outlet in Madison, Wisconsin in 2002 had momentarily materialized but was dissolved the following year. Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 28 Jan. 2025 While a lot of attention regarding the New York Yankees' offseason has been focused on filling one final hole on the infield after Gleyber Torres' departure, nothing has materialized. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 26 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for materialize 

Word History

First Known Use

1710, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of materialize was in 1710

Dictionary Entries Near materialize

Cite this Entry

“Materialize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/materialize. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

materialize

verb
ma·​te·​ri·​al·​ize mə-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌlīz How to pronounce materialize (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on materialize

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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