visualize

verb

vi·​su·​al·​ize ˈvi-zhə-wə-ˌlīz 

ˈvi-zhə-ˌlīz,

ˈvizh-wə-ˌlīz

visualized; visualizing

transitive verb

: to make visible: such as

a

: to see or form a mental image of : envisage

trying to visualize the problem

b

: to make (an internal organ or part) visible by radiographic visualization

intransitive verb

: to form a mental visual image

Synonyms

• conceit [chiefly dialect]
• conceive
• conjure (up)
• dream
• envisage
• envision
• fancy
• fantasize
• fantasy
• feature
• ideate
• image
• imagine
• picture
• see
• vision

Examples of visualize in a Sentence

She tried to visualize the scene he was describing.

Before you swing, visualize yourself hitting the ball.

Recent Examples on the Web

Vaccines have helped eradicate countless diseases, like polio, and increase life expectancy, but those benefits are hard to properly visualize or quantify, Polite said. —Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2025

To visualize the fit before buying, use painter’s tape to mark out the rug’s dimensions. —Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Jan. 2025

But, as of recent, it’s been hard to visualize that thing as a community that everybody’s on the same page about. —Mano Sundaresan, Pitchfork, 17 Jan. 2025

To visualize how little exposure that entails, consider that one gram of poop (picture a quarter teaspoon) from a person with norovirus can include billions of viral particles. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1848, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

visualize

verb

vi·​su·​al·​ize ˈvizh-(ə-)wə-ˌlīz 

ˈvizh-ə-ˌlīz

visualized; visualizing

: to make visible

especially : to form a mental image of

Medical Definition

visualize

transitive verb

vi·​su·​al·​ize

variants also British visualise

ˈvizh-(ə-)wə-ˌlīz, ˈvizh-ə-ˌlīz 

visualized also British visualised; visualizing also British visualising

: to make visible: as

a

: to see or form a mental image of

b

: to make (an organ) visible by radiographic visualization

visualize the gallbladder

c

: to prepare (as an organism or tissue) for microscopic examination especially by staining