as in to say
to express (a thought or emotion) in words
couldn't quite verbalize the cause of his mental distress
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of verbalize
The school emphasized that students should express themselves in words, but Jude was not a child who verbalized his feelings.
—
Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
And Payton verbalized his frustration over the Wilson deal, the source said, done before his arrival.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026
Lee, who represents a mother and her five children confined at Dilley for eight months, said the 5-year-old twins are hardly eating and the 9-year-old is verbalizing suicidal thoughts.
—Lisa Falkenberg, Houston Chronicle, 18 Feb. 2026
And on Sunday, Nick Bolton, the proverbial green-dot defensive play-caller for five years, verbalized a call that he’s never used before.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for verbalize
Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
And Payton verbalized his frustration over the Wilson deal, the source said, done before his arrival.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 28 Feb. 2026
Lee, who represents a mother and her five children confined at Dilley for eight months, said the 5-year-old twins are hardly eating and the 9-year-old is verbalizing suicidal thoughts.
—Lisa Falkenberg, Houston Chronicle, 18 Feb. 2026
And on Sunday, Nick Bolton, the proverbial green-dot defensive play-caller for five years, verbalized a call that he’s never used before.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for verbalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for verbalize
Verb
-
Seeking offense, New York plans to designate Tommy Pham for assignment and has agreed to a major league contract with Austin Slater, a pair of people familiar with the move said, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the decisions were not announced.—
Ronald Blum,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Airport Authority has hired investment banks for the issuance and plans to price the multi‑tranche deal as early as Tuesday, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private matters.—
Janice Huang,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Womble sat silently, not uttering a word after entering his guilty plea.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The Jets learned that this year, going from Presidents’ Trophy winner to utter disaster.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Federal authorities leading investigation The FBI is leading the criminal probe while the Secret Service is focusing on the suspect's behavioral profile, a senior law enforcement official briefed on the bicoastal investigation told USA TODAY.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
From there, his reaction was telling.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But past royal visits to Washington have sometimes gone awry − from amorous muskrats to a talking hat.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Before talking to the group, McFadden asked them to take a few minutes to interact.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Stanton, expected to speak on Saturday, was still receiving treatment after Friday’s game.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Ash Afanan, an analyst in LAHSA’s system and planning department who spoke in a personal capacity, said Friday staff are experiencing widespread fear following the layoff announcement.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In it, the king is expected to discuss the United Kingdom’s relationship with the United States over the last 250 years and how the two nations have worked together to achievements in science, economics, innovation, international security and other fields.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Gulf leaders are scheduled to meet in Jeddah on Tuesday to discuss the conflict, the Strait of Hormuz, and Pakistan’s mediation efforts.—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That’s pretty phenomenal; Arden even shares credit with the lighting designer, Jen Schriever.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Consider every actual thing Diego Pavia has done and said to hurt himself — not the fake things, one of which was shared Sunday by people who should know better — and apply them to a quarterback who is 6-foot-3 instead of 5-foot-10, with a powerful arm instead of an average one.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Verbalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/verbalize. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
