verb · 6 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.
/məˈtɪɹiəlaɪz/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:M AH0 T IH1 R IY0 AH0 L AY2 Z
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To cause to take physical form, or to cause an object to appear.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: incorporate
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To take physical form, to appear seemingly from nowhere.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To become real (of a plan, idea, etc.); to come to fruition.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To regard as matter; to consider or explain by the laws or principles which are appropriate to matter.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: British, English, Oxford, US, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
To perform materialization; to save the results of a database query as a temporary table or materialized view.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
verb
Meaning 6
come into being; become reality
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
Her dream really materialized
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: happen, materialise
Antonyms: dematerialize
Broader terms: happen, hap, go on, pass off, occur, pass, fall out, come about, take place
Narrower terms: appear, come out
History
Etymology
Etymology tree English material 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 materialize From material + -ize.
Across languages
Translations
38 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
جَسَّدَ
(jassada)
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Bengali:
মাটিআরিআলাইজ্
(maṭiarialaij)
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Bulgarian:
материализирам
(materializiram)
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Catalan:
materialitzar
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Czech:
zhmotnit
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Danish:
materialisere
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Dutch:
materialiseren
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Finnish:
aineellistaa
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Finnish:
materialisoida
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
French:
matérialiser
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
German:
materialisieren
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Ido:
materiigar
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Japanese:
現れる
(arawareru)
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Japanese:
現る
(arawaru)
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Polish:
materializować
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Polish:
zmaterializować
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Portuguese:
materializar
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Spanish:
materializar
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Swedish:
materialisera
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Volapük:
stöfükön
— to cause to take physical form or to appear
Arabic:
تَجَسَّدَ
(tajassada)
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Bengali:
মাটিআরিআলাইজ্
(maṭiarialaij)
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Bengali:
বাস্তবায়িত
(bastobaẏito)
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Bulgarian:
материализирам се
(materializiram se)
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Catalan:
materialitzar
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Czech:
zhmotnit se
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Danish:
materialisere
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Finnish:
aineellistua
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Finnish:
materialisoitua
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
German:
sich materialisieren
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Ido:
korpeskar
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Polish:
materializować się
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Polish:
zmaterializować się
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Portuguese:
materializar
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Russian:
материализоваться
(materializovatʹsja)
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Spanish:
materializarse
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Swedish:
materialisera
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
Volapük:
stöfikön
— to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere
