ENGLISH
REFERENCE

visualize

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈvɪʒwəˌɫaɪz// vi·su·al·ize

v. to form a picture of something in your mind. You use this to imagine how a future event or a complex idea might look.

v. to form a mental image or representation of something. Often used in professional contexts to describe the conceptualization of data or the mental rehearsal of a procedure.


SIMPLE

I try to visualize my goals every morning.

CONTEXTUAL

The surgeon used 3D scans to visualize the patient's heart before starting the complex operation.

COMPLEX

Athletes often use mental imagery to visualize every movement of their performance, believing that this cognitive rehearsal improves their physical execution during the actual competition.

Synonyms
Origin

From visual + -ize (suffix forming verbs denoting the doing or making of what is denoted by the adjectives or nouns to which it is attached).

Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object.

Pitfall

visualize about the futurevisualize the futureVisualize is transitive and does not require a preposition like 'about' before the object.

© 2026 English Reference