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 As OpenAI continues to enhance this technology, Operator is likely to play a significant role in transforming how digital tasks are conducted, bridging the gap between human intentions and technological execution. Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Jan. 2025 In celebration of the 2025 Super Bowl taking over New Orleans on Feb. 9, Captain Morgan is transforming the city’s iconic Bourbon Street into Rum Street leading up to the Big Game from Feb. 6 to 8, when T-Pain will hit the stage and perform his biggest hits. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 23 Jan. 2025 Mahomes and his teammates linked their arms and began shuffling their feet to the right, transforming their huddle into a counter-clockwise carousel. Nate Taylor, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025 Key takeaways - Generative AI transforms the SaaS industry with AI agents capable of completing tasks. Janakiram Msv, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for transform 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for transform
Verb
  • On the ensuing possession, Rice was fouled and converted the first of two free throws with 22 seconds to go.
    Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 19 Jan. 2025
  • Advertisement Also, last month, Biden commuted the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before Trump, an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office.
    Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The Keeler House: In 1990 modernist architect Ray Kappe remodeled a home for jazz singer Anne Keeler and her then-husband, Gordon Melcher.
    Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
  • Fire department funding will be used to rebuild and remodel existing fire stations, and to build a center for fire, police, and specialty apparatus.
    Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The claim seems more aspirational than accurate, maybe even defensive—the altar boy claiming his right to the transfiguring blaze.
    Christian Wiman, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
  • But yes, little Johnny, human beings really did once get down on their knees every afternoon beside a mail slot, waiting for some transfiguring love or luck to slide through.
    Christian Wiman, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
Verb
  • Face them head-on, and then use the sun’s entrance into Scorpio on the 22nd to transmute pain into power, ideally with the help of your most intimate connections.
    Dossé-Via Trenou, refinery29.com, 27 Sep. 2024
  • This visceral metamorphosis, which haunts the pages of her memoir Black Milk: On Writing, Motherhood, and the Harem Within (2007; English translation 2011), transmutes nature’s most fundamental symbol of maternal sustenance into a potent metaphor for creative anxiety born of postpartum despair.
    Fidan Cheikosman, JSTOR Daily, 1 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near transform

Cite this Entry

“Transform.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/transform. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on transform

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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