How do you use "organize"?

Commonly used with a direct object representing the thing being structured. Can be used intransitively to describe the act of forming a collective group.

organize — meaning, definition & examples

Q: What does "organize" mean?

1. (to arrange or plan) to plan an event or to put things in a neat, useful order. 2. (to form a union) to bring workers together into a group or union to ask for better pay or conditions. 3. (music) to sing or play music in different parts or layers.

Q: Is it correct to say "I need to organize about my desk."?

No — say "I need to organize my desk.". The verb 'organize' is transitive and takes a direct object without a preposition like 'about'.

Word

01to arrange or plan

A2 · Elementary

v. to plan an event or to put things in a neat, useful order.

v. to arrange elements into a structured or functioning whole; often used for planning events or systematizing physical objects.

“She helped organize the office party so that everyone had a job to do.”

“The project manager spent the morning trying to organize the chaotic workflow into a series of manageable daily tasks.”

Usage

Commonly used with a direct object representing the thing being structured.

Pitfall

I need to organize about my desk.

I need to organize my desk.

The verb 'organize' is transitive and takes a direct object without a preposition like 'about'.

Synonyms

arrange ordersystematize

Antonyms

disorganizejumble

02to form a union

B2 · Upper Intermediate

v. to bring workers together into a group or union to ask for better pay or conditions.

v. to form or persuade people to join a trade union or similar collective bargaining group.

“The factory workers decided to organize to ask for safer working conditions.”

“Labor leaders spent months attempting to organize the warehouse staff despite significant opposition from the local management team.”

Usage

Can be used intransitively to describe the act of forming a collective group.

Synonyms

unionizemobilize

03music

C2 · Proficiency Music Technical · Archaic

v. to sing or play music in different parts or layers.

v. to arrange or perform music in parts, specifically in the context of early polyphony.

“The choir began to organize the ancient melody into several different voices.”

“In the study of early medieval polyphony, scholars examine how singers would organize a simple plainsong into complex harmonic layers.”

Teaching tip

This sense is highly specialized and rarely encountered outside of historical musicology.

From Middle English organizen, organysen, partly from Middle French organiser and partly from its etymon, Medieval Latin organizō, from Latin organum (“organ”). By surface analysis, organ + -ize.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

organize(A2)

NOUN

ADJECTIVE