synchronize
English
WOTD – 2 October 2006
Alternative forms
- synchronise (non-Oxford British spelling)
Etymology
Etymology tree
From Ancient Greek συγχρονίζω (sunkhronízō), equivalent to syn- + chrono- + -ize.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈsɪŋ.kɹəˌnaɪz/
- (US, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈsɪŋ.kɹəˌnaɪz/
Audio (California): (file)
- (Australia) IPA(key): /ˈsɪŋ.kɹəˌnɑez/
Audio (Queensland): (file)
Verb
synchronize (third-person singular simple present synchronizes, present participle synchronizing, simple past and past participle synchronized) (American spelling, Oxford British English)
- (transitive) To cause two or more events or actions to happen at exactly the same time or same rate, or in a time-coordinated way.
- (intransitive) To occur at the same time or with coordinated timing.
- 1839, Thomas De Quincey, Philosophy of Roman History:
- The path of this great empire, through its arch of progress, synchronized with that of Christianity.
- (transitive) To cause (video and audio) to play in a coordinated way.
- (intransitive) To occur at the same time or with coordinated timing.
- (transitive) To set (a clock or watch) to display the same time as another.
- We synchronized our watches and agreed to meet at four o'clock precisely.
- (computing, ambitransitive) To cause (a set of files, data, or settings) on one computer or device to be (and try to remain) the same as on another.
- (intransitive, of inanimate entities) To agree, be coordinated with, or complement well.
- 1986, Max C. Smith, “By the Year 2000”, in Joseph Beam, editor, In The Life: A Black Gay Anthology, page 224:
- Gay men often have interests and concerns that don't synchronize with the issues considered top priorities by lesbians.
- (transitive) To coordinate or combine.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
cause two events to have coordinated timing
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Categories:
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *sem-
- English terms derived from Proto-Hellenic
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European word *ḱe
- English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European word *ḱóm
- English terms prefixed with syn-
- English terms prefixed with chrono-
- English terms suffixed with -ize
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- American English forms
- Oxford spellings
- English transitive verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with usage examples
- en:Computing
- en:Time