Materialize ma-te-ri-al-ize verb \ muh-teer-ee-uh-lahyz\ v. materialized; materializing; materializes v.tr. 1. To cause to become real or actual: By building the house, we materialized a dream. 2. To cause to become materialistic: "Inequality has the natural and necessary effect . . . of materializing our upper class, vulgarizing our middle class, and brutalizing our lower class" (Matthew Arnold). v.intr. 1. To assume material or effective form: Their support on the eastern flank did not materialize. 2. To take physical form or shape. 3. To appear, especially suddenly. See Synonyms at appear. ma-te-ri-al-izer n. : to become visible : to appear especially in a sudden or magical way : to begin to happen or exist : to occur or become real ma-te-ri-al-ized, ma-te-ri-al-izing Full Definition: transitive verb 1 a : to make material : objectify b : to cause to appear in bodily form - materialise the spirits of the dead 2 : to cause to be materialistic intransitive verb 1 : to assume bodily form 2 a : to appear especially suddenly b : to come into existence � ma-te-ri-al-izer noun Examples of MATERIALIZE A waiter suddenly materialized beside our table. Rain clouds materialized on the horizon. First Known Use of MATERIALIZE: 1710 Related: Synonyms actualize, manifest, appear, emerge, happen, occur, realize, take place, turn up, unfold, arise, break, commence, dawn, engender, form, begin, originate, set in, spring, start, actualize, coalesce, develop, embody, evolve, exteriorize, externalize, hypostatize, metamorphose, objectify, personalize, personify, reify, substantiate, symbolize, typify, visualize, corporealize, entify, make real, pragmatize, substantialize, take form, take shape Antonyms cease, end, stop English Alternative forms materialise (UK) Verb materialize (third-person singular simple present materializes, present participle materializing, simple past and past participle materialized) (transitive) To cause to take physical form, or to cause an object to appear. (intransitive) To take physical form, to appear seemingly from nowhere. (transitive) To regard as matter; to consider or explain by the laws or principles which are appropriate to matter. Translations to cause to take physical form or to appear to take physical form or to appear seemingly from nowhere Verb materialise (third-person singular simple present materialises, present participle materialising, simple past and past participle materialised) Non-Oxford British English standard spelling of materialize. References; L Picknett: Encyclopaedia of the Paranormal (1990) "The dead materialised in full form ..." Alistair McLean: (1969) " ... he materialised a taxi out of nowhere."