vocalize

verb

vo·​cal·​ize ˈvō-kə-ˌlīz 

vocalized; vocalizing

transitive verb

1

: to give voice to : utter

specifically : sing

2

a

: to make voiced rather than voiceless : voice

b

: to convert to a vowel

3

: to furnish (something, such as a consonantal Hebrew or Arabic text) with vowels or vowel points

intransitive verb

1

: to utter vocal sounds

2

: sing

specifically : to sing without words

vocalization

ˌvō-kə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

vocalizer

ˈvō-kə-ˌlī-zər 

noun

Synonyms

• articulate
• bring out
• enunciate
• pass
• say
• speak
• state
• talk
• tell
• utter
• verbalize

Examples of vocalize in a Sentence

The male bird vocalizes to attract a mate.

she's not one to vocalize her worries

Recent Examples on the Web

Queen Latifah also vocalized her support for the Harris-Tim Walz ticket, tying the Democratic duo’s plan for small businesses and early career entrepreneurs to her own backstory as founder of Flavor Unit Entertainment at 19. —Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 3 Nov. 2024

Decision fatigue may keep people from vocalizing their unhappiness and identifying a way out. —Justin Tobin, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024

Mulaney has also vocalized his excitement over being a new dad. —Georgia Slater, Peoplemag, 22 Sep. 2024

Harrington also vocalized her excitement on the appointment of Black scholar Jonathan Michael Square as a committee member for this year’s exhibition. —Taylor Crumpton, TIME, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1669, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

vocalize

verb

vo·​cal·​ize ˈvō-kə-ˌlīz 

vocalized; vocalizing

: to give voice to

especially : sing entry 1 sense 1a

vocalizer

ˈvō-kə-ˌlī-zər 

noun