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Synonyms

lionize

American  
[lahy-uh-nahyz] / ˈlaɪ əˌnaɪz /
especially British, lionise

verb (used with object)

lionized, lionizing

  1. to treat (a person) as a celebrity.

    to lionize the visiting poet.

  2. British. to visit or exhibit the objects of interest of (a place).

verb (used without object)

lionized, lionizing

  1. to pursue celebrities or seek their company.

  2. British. to visit the objects of interest of a place.

lionize British  
/ ˈlaɪəˌnaɪz /

verb

  1. (tr) to treat as or make into a celebrity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • lionization noun
  • lionized adjective
  • lionizer noun
  • unlionized adjective

Etymology

Origin of lionize

First recorded in 1800–10; lion + -ize ( def. )

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.