verb · 12 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.
Canada:/ˈsɪŋ.kɹə.naɪːz/
UK:/ˈsɪŋ.kɹə.naɪz/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:S IH1 NG K R AH0 N AY2 Z
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To cause two or more events or actions to happen at exactly the same time or same rate, or in a time-coordinated way.
To occur at the same time or with coordinated timing.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
To agree, be coordinated with, or complement well.
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
6
verb
Meaning 6
To coordinate or combine.
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
7
verb
Meaning 7
make synchronous and adjust in time or manner
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
Let's synchronize our efforts
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: synchronise, sync
Antonyms: desynchronize
Broader terms: adjust, set, correct
Narrower terms: phase
8
verb
Meaning 8
cause to indicate the same time or rate
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
synchronize your watches
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: synchronise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: align, aline, line up, adjust
9
verb
Meaning 9
operate simultaneously
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
The clocks synchronize
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: synchronise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: operate, control
10
verb
Meaning 10
arrange or represent events so that they co-occur
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
synchronize biblical events
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: synchronise, contemporize, contemporise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: arrange, set up, put, order
11
verb
Meaning 11
make (motion picture sound) exactly simultaneous with the action
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
synchronize this film
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: synchronise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: change, alter, modify
Narrower terms: dub
12
verb
Meaning 12
happen at the same time
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: synchronise, contemporize, contemporise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: happen, hap, go on, pass off, occur, pass, fall out, come about, take place
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱómder.? Proto-Indo-European *sem-der.? Proto-Hellenic *ksún Ancient Greek σύν (sún) Ancient Greek σῠν- (sŭn-) Ancient Greek συγ- (sug-) Ancient Greek χρόνος (khrónos) Ancient Greek σῠ́γχρονος (sŭ́nkhronos) Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Ancient Greek συγχρονίζω (sunkhronízō)der. English synchronize From Ancient Greek συγχρονίζω (sunkhronízō), equivalent to syn- + chrono- + -ize.
Across languages
Translations
39 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
زَامَنَ
(zāmana)
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Asturian:
sincronizar
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Belarusian:
сінхранізава́ць
(sinxranizavácʹ)
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Catalan:
sincronitzar
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Chinese Mandarin:
同步
(tóngbù)
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Chinese Mandarin:
同步化
(tóngbùhuà)
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Czech:
synchronizovat
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Danish:
synkronisere
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Dutch:
synchroniseren
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Esperanto:
sinkronigi
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Finnish:
synkronoida
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Finnish:
tahdistaa
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
French:
synchroniser
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Galician:
sincronizar
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
German:
synchronisieren
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Greek:
συγχρονίζω
(synchronízo)
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Hungarian:
szinkronizál
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Hungarian:
összehangol
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Hungarian:
összeigazít
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Icelandic:
samstilla
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Indonesian:
menyinkronkan
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Italian:
sincronizzare
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Japanese:
同調する
(dōchō suru)
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Japanese:
同期する
(dōki suru)
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Japanese:
シンクロナイズさせる
(shinkuronaizu saseru)
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Kazakh:
синхрондау
(sinxrondau)
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Māori:
whakatukutahi
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Māori:
whakatautokorua
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Norwegian:
synkronisere
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Polish:
synchronizować
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Portuguese:
sincronizar
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Romanian:
sincroniza
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Russian:
синхронизирова́ть
(sinxronizirovátʹ)
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Spanish:
sincronizar
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Spanish:
poner en hora
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Swedish:
synkronisera
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Tagalog:
ipagsabay-sabay
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Turkish:
senkronize etmek
— cause two events to have coordinated timing
Ukrainian:
синхронізува́ти
(synxronizuváty)
— cause two events to have coordinated timing