realize
verb
Simple meaning
Convert into cash.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
reeuhlyzSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹiəlaɪz
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitivechiefly passive voiceslightly formal
To convert (something imaginary or planned, as a goal or idea) into reality; to bring into real existence, to make real.
Convert into cash; of goods and property
transitive
To become aware of, understand, or appreciate (a fact or situation, especially something which has been true for some time).
transitivebusinessfinance
Of an asset or property: to generate (a specific amount of money or interest) when invested or sold.
Expand or complete (a part in a piece of baroque music) by supplying the harmonies indicated in the figured bass
transitive
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.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (chiefly passive voice, slightly formal) To convert (something imaginary or planned, as a goal or idea) into reality; to bring into real existence, to make real.
Used this way, realize is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use realize
- “He realized that he had left his umbrella on the train.”verb
- “The objectives of the project were never fully realized.”verb
- “The southern /v/ is realized as the voiced approximant [ʋ].”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Coming to understand something clearly and distinctly.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.