localize

verb

lo·​cal·​ize ˈlō-kə-ˌlīz How to pronounce localize (audio)
localized; localizing

transitive verb

1
: to make local : orient locally
2
: to assign to or keep within a definite locality

intransitive verb

: to accumulate in or be restricted to a specific or limited area
an infection that localizes in the ear
localizable adjective
localization noun

Examples of localize in a Sentence

Doctors are trying to localize the infection by using antibiotics. The computer technician was able to localize the fault quickly.
Recent Examples on the Web It can be localized (confined to one area) or diffuse (spread out). Jenny Sweigard, Verywell Health, 5 Mar. 2024 Subsequent numerical studies supported the notion that a rugged landscape could localize energy, and physicists began to consider the implications. Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024 Back in 2014, when Russia took over Crimea and parts of the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, the violence was localized. Polina Lytvynova, NPR, 25 Feb. 2024 Another interesting pattern is that these attacks were mostly localized to the European region. Reuven Aronashvili, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Parts of southeast New York, including Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx could get 2 to 3 inches of rain, an advisory said, with potential for flash flooding and localized higher rainfall. Christopher Cann, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2024 Unlike smaller impacts, the volume of melt generated by objects of this size isn’t localized within a crater, according to models. Alka Tripathy-Lang, Ars Technica, 26 Jan. 2024 In this trial, doctors will inject the mRNA directly into the tumors and then check to see how localized the effect is. Emily Mullin, WIRED, 22 Jan. 2024 Chinese efforts at disinformation have become increasingly localized and sophisticated, according to DoubleThink Lab’s post-election analysis. David Klepper and Huizhong Wu, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'localize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1792, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of localize was in 1792

Dictionary Entries Near localize

Cite this Entry

“Localize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/localize. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

localize

verb
lo·​cal·​ize ˈlō-kə-ˌlīz How to pronounce localize (audio)
localized; localizing
1
: to assign to or keep in a definite place or locality
2
: to be restricted to or accumulate in a limited area
pain localized in a joint
localization noun

Medical Definition

localize

verb
lo·​cal·​ize
variants also British localise
localized also British localised; localizing also British localising

transitive verb

: to make local
especially : to fix in or confine to a definite place or part
hot applications helped to localize the infection

intransitive verb

: to accumulate in or be restricted to a specific or limited area
this parasite localizes and grows in the muscleMorris Fishbein

More from Merriam-Webster on localize

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