sync

[ singk ]

noun

1. synchronization, or the condition of moving, operating, acting, etc., at the same rate and exactly together (usually preceded by in or out of ):

   The picture and the soundtrack were out of sync.

2. harmony or harmonious relationship (usually preceded by in or out of ):

   Management wants to be in sync with the client's wishes.

3. Computers. the process of connecting devices or computers, or of uploading data from one to the other or to a network or data store, so that all connected devices and repositories share current data:

   You can disconnect your phone from the computer after the sync finishes.

verb (used with object)

1. Also . Computers.
   1. to connect (devices or computers) so that they share current data, often the data generated by a particular app and stored on one of the devices or computers:

      Every few days I sync my fitness tracker with my computer so my averages are updated on the computer.

   2. to upload (data) from one device or computer to another, or to a network or data store, so that all connected devices and repositories share current data:

      This app lets you sync your photos across multiple devices.

      When several of us are working on code in the same program, we have to sync changes frequently.

2. to synchronize, or cause to move, operate, act, etc., at the same rate and exactly together:

   The cheerleaders and baton twirlers synced their movements perfectly to the band.

3. to harmonize or align:

   It is extremely important to sync your priorities with those of your teammates.

verb (used without object)

1. Also . Computers. to initiate or undergo a connection between devices or computers, or with a network or data store, to share current data:

   Your computer needs to sync with a server on the west coast at the end of each day’s work.

2. to be in or come into harmony or alignment:

   Despite my fears, my new roommate and I synced almost right away.

   Project management should sync with organizational strategy so we all know how to plan.

sync

/ sɪŋk /

verb

1. an informal word for synchronize

noun

1. an informal word for synchronization See synchronization

   in sync

   out of sync

Word History and Origins

Origin of sync¹

First recorded in 1930–35; shortened from synchronize ( def )

Example Sentences

This is “Sync.Live,” and while you don’t need to know the science behind it to play it, doing so adds meaning to the experience of wearing a top hat affixed with blinking LED lights and making silly, exaggerated strides at strangers.

From Los Angeles Times

“Sync.Live” is part of IndieCade’s long-running free Night Games programming, back for the second year at downtown’s Music Center on Friday and Saturday evenings.

From Los Angeles Times

Night Games will be home to academic experiments — “Sync.Live” — as well as games that ask us to converse and work together via a seesaw, such as the pirate-themed “Back Off Me Booty.”

From Los Angeles Times

For all its demographic changes, Leon’s “Our Town,” which is infused with spirituals from wide-ranging religious traditions, completely accepting of an interracial relationship and welcoming of other forms of diversity that likely would have been pushed to the outer margins in the Grover’s Corners that Wilder imagined, feels utterly in sync with the play’s prevailing spirit.

From Los Angeles Times

The mechanics of the plot itself don’t quite hold up under scrutiny, which is a shame when the dialogue, performances and filmmaking craft are so tightly meshed, moving in perfect sync.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• coincide
• conform
• correspond
• harmonize
• jibe