externalize
externalize verb: to make something external or objective.
Verb
externalize (third-person singular simple present externalizes, present participle externalizing, simple past and past participle externalized)
- To make something external or objective.
- To represent something abstract or intangible as material; to embody.
- To attribute emotions etc to external circumstances; to project.
- To direct to others, as costs or benefits.
- Offering high-quality software as open-source externalizes benefits to a large community, but also externalizes much of the cost of testing and further development.
- Operating a low-cost, high-pollution manufacturing process externalizes costs in the form of adverse human health consequences and ecosystem effects.
Forms of externalize
| third-person singular present | externalizes |
|---|---|
| present participle | externalizing |
| past participle | externalized |
| past | externalized |
Origin of externalize
From external + -ize.
Words formed from externalize
Questions about externalize
- What does externalize mean?
- Externalize means to make something external or objective.
- What part of speech is externalize?
- Externalize is a verb.
- What is the past tense of externalize?
- The past tense of externalize is externalized.
Words near externalize in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: externalize (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-externalize.wav.
Cite this entry: “externalize.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/externalize. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
