Standard Lemma guide

familiarize

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /fəˈmɪliəɹaɪ̯z/
  • /fəˈmɪljəɹaɪ̯z/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: F AH0 M IH1 L Y ER0 AY2 Z Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To make or become familiar with something or someone.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, ambitransitive

Examples

  • I took some time to familiarize myself with the layout of her kitchen before I got to cooking for her.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

make familiar or conversant with

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • you should acquaint yourself with your new computer
  • We familiarized ourselves with the new surroundings

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: familiarise, acquaint

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: inform

Narrower terms: orient, verse, reacquaint, get into

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English familiar Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English familiarize From familiar + -ize.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: запознавам (zapoznavam) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Bulgarian: популяризирам (populjariziram) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Catalan: familiaritzar — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Chinese Mandarin: 使熟悉 (shǐ shúxī) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Finnish: tutustuttaa — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Finnish: perehdyttää — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Finnish: totuttaa — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Finnish: tutustua — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Finnish: perehtyä — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Finnish: tottua — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • French: familiariser — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Galician: familiarizar — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • German: sich bekanntmachen — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Greek: εξοικειώνω (exoikeióno) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Hindi: अवगत कराना (avgat karānā) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Ido: familiigar — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Ingrian: aatuttaa — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Italian: familiarizzare — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Malayalam: പരിചയപ്പെടുക (paricayappeṭuka) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Malayalam: പരിചയപ്പെടുത്തുക (paricayappeṭuttuka) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Māori: whakawaia — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Occitan: familiarizar — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Old English: ġehīwcūþlīcian — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Portuguese: familiarizar — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Russian: знако́миться (znakómitʹsja) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Russian: познако́миться (poznakómitʹsja) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Russian: ознако́миться (oznakómitʹsja) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Russian: знако́мить (znakómitʹ) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Russian: познако́мить (poznakómitʹ) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Russian: ознако́мить (oznakómitʹ) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Spanish: familiarizar — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Ukrainian: знайо́мити (znajómyty) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Ukrainian: познайо́мити (poznajómyty) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Ukrainian: ознайо́млювати (oznajómljuvaty) — make or become familiar with something or someone
  • Ukrainian: ознайо́мити (oznajómyty) — make or become familiar with something or someone
Real reading context

familiarize in complete knowledge articles