Meaning & use
synchronizing
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“synchronizing” is a form of “synchronize”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Making two or more things happen, move, or work at exactly the same time.
Grammar: Used in the continuous form after 'be'; it describes an ongoing activity and takes no object here.
Patterns
- be synchronizing with something
- be synchronizing together
The two cameras are synchronizing so that every shot lines up perfectly.
Our watches are synchronizing automatically through the phone network.
verbtransitive
Adjusting clocks, devices, or data so that they show or use the same time or information.
Grammar: Takes an object: you synchronize something (files, watches, calendars).
Patterns
- synchronize something with something
- synchronize something to something
She is synchronizing her laptop calendar with her work phone.
The engineers are synchronizing the traffic lights along the whole street.
noununcountable
The act or process of making things happen or operate at the same time.
Grammar: Used as a gerund noun; it has no plural and often follows 'of'.
Patterns
- the synchronizing of something
Synchronizing of the audio and video took the editor several hours.
Careful synchronizing is essential when several machines work on one task.
Word forms
| third person singular | synchronizes |
|---|---|
| past tense | synchronized |
| past participle | synchronized |
| -ing form | synchronizing |
Common combinations
- synchronize with
- The dancers must synchronize with the music.
- perfectly synchronized
- The swimmers gave a perfectly synchronized performance.
- synchronize data
- The app synchronizes data across all your devices.
- synchronize watches
- Before the mission, the team synchronized their watches.
- synchronized swimming
- She won a medal in synchronized swimming at the games.
Synonyms and how they differ
- coordinate
- Focuses on organizing people or activities to work well together, not necessarily at the same instant.
- align
- Suggests bringing things into the same line or position, which may or may not involve timing.
- time
- Used for arranging something to happen at a chosen moment, rather than matching two things exactly.
Opposites
Word family
- synchronization noun
- The state or process of things happening at the same time.
- synchronized adjective
- Describing things that operate or occur together exactly.
- synchronize verb
- The base verb meaning to make things match in time.
- synchronizer noun
- A device or person that brings separate things into time agreement.
Commonly confused: synchronizing or synthesizing? synchronizing or sympathizing?
synchronizing vs synthesizing
'Synthesizing' means combining parts into a whole (often chemically), while 'synchronizing' is about matching timing.
synchronizing vs sympathizing
'Sympathizing' means sharing someone's feelings; it sounds similar but has nothing to do with time.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'synchronizing' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Synchronizing' means making things happen at the same time, so matching voices with an orchestra fits. Option 2 confuses it with 'sympathizing' (sharing feelings), and options 3 and 4 describe changing or combining music rather than timing it together.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “synchronizing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.