formalize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to make formal, especially for the sake of official or authorized acceptance.
to formalize an understanding by drawing up a legal contract.
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to give a definite form or shape to.
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to state or restate (the rules or implied rules of a grammar or the like) in symbolic form.
verb
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to be or make formal
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(tr) to make official or valid
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(tr) to give a definite shape or form to
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logic to extract the logical form of (an expression), to express in the symbols of some formal system
Other Word Forms
- formalization noun
- formalizer noun
- overformalize verb
- unformalized adjective
Etymology
Origin of formalize
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They encouraged him to formalize his camp by making it a Safe Outdoor Space, the very program he’d had a hand in creating barely two years prior.
From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026
They formalize discussions around career planning to make sure employees are getting support, feedback and guidance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
The mechanism would help to formalize and identify what kinds of goods the United States should be exporting to and importing from China, he said.
From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026
So you’ll need to treat this family loan like a traditional mortgage, formalize the agreement, and give the lender a security interest in your home, Flach added.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 15, 2025
“If we’re committed,” I said, as evenly as I could muster, “why wouldn’t we formalize that commitment? What part of your dignity would be sacrificed by that?”
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
