memorialize
/məˈmɔːriəlaɪz/ (bre, ipa) · /məˈmɔːriəlaɪz/ (ame, ipa) · /mə-ˈmȯr-ē-ə-ˌlīz/ (ame, mw)
memorialize — verb
- memorializepresent simple I / you / we / they
- memorializeshe / she / it
- memorializedpast simple
- memorializing-ing form
1. To build a statue, monument, or other lasting structure that keeps a person or e
To build a statue, monument, or other lasting structure that keeps a person or event in people's memories.
The city council voted to memorialize the war heroes with a granite monument.
memorialize + [person] + with + [concrete object]
A bronze statue was built to memorialize the famous scientist outside the university library.
passive: be built to memorialize [person]
The government plans to memorialize the earthquake victims by building a memorial park near the coast.
Local artists created a mural to memorialize the town's founding families.
- commemorate
Broader term — can refer to both physical memorials and ceremonies; 'memorialize' leans toward creating a lasting physical object.
- immortalize
Stronger connotation of making someone famous forever; often used in art, not just physical monuments.
- honor
More general; can mean showing respect in many ways, not necessarily building a physical structure.
文法句型
memorialize + noun phrase (person/event) + with + noun phrase (memorial object)
用法筆記
Object is typically a deceased person or a significant historical event. The result is always a physical structure — a statue, monument, building, or park.
常見錯誤
2. To do something special — such as holding a ceremony, naming something after som
To do something special — such as holding a ceremony, naming something after someone, or creating a work of art — that makes sure a person or event will be remembered.
The Wang family set up a scholarship fund to memorialize their daughter's work with special needs children.
set up [fund] to memorialize [person]'s work
The school holds an annual ceremony to memorialize the principal who served for forty years.
hold [ceremony] to memorialize [person]
Local volunteers plant trees every spring to memorialize those lost in the forest fires.
That novel was written to memorialize the author's mother, who inspired her love of stories.
- commemorate
More frequent and slightly less formal; can be used in many of the same contexts as sense 2 of 'memorialize'.
- pay tribute to
Focuses on showing respect; often used in speeches and formal events rather than creating lasting reminders.
- remember
Everyday word; does not carry the formal, deliberate, public-action sense that 'memorialize' carries.
- forget
The opposite of keeping someone or something in memory.
文法句型
memorialize + noun phrase + by/through + gerund/noun phrase
passive: be memorialized
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1, the act of remembrance does not need to involve a physical structure. Common in formal contexts such as dedications, official ceremonies, and fundraising for named funds or scholarships.