naturalize
verb
nat·u·ral·ize
| \ ˈna-chə-rə-ˌlīz
, ˈnach-rə-\
, ˈnach-rə-\
naturalized;
naturalizing
Definition of naturalize
1
: to confer the rights of a national on
especially
: to admit to citizenship
2
: to introduce into common use or into the vernacular
3
: to bring into conformity with nature
4
: to cause (something, such as a plant) to become established as if native
: to become established as if native
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Examples of naturalize in a Sentence
The government refused to naturalize them without documentation.
naturalized citizens of the U.S.
Several Asian fish have become naturalized in these lakes.
Before you naturalize bulbs in your lawn, fertilize well.
These daisies naturalize well in the Pacific Northwest.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Some were third-generation citizens; others were waiting to be naturalized. — Los Angeles Times, "‘Go back to where you came from’: Our readers recall racist taunts from their lives," 15 July 2019 Sea, who has received two Army achievement medals, applied to naturalize in 2014 but was denied after immigration officials alleged there had been a fraudulent document in an earlier student visa application. — Ariel Tu, The Seattle Times, "Judge sets deadline for Army specialist’s citizenship ruling," 14 Aug. 2018 An Indian husband and wife were naturalized one after another. — Carina Julig, The Denver Post, "People from 25 countries became naturalized U.S. citizens at a ceremony on July 3," 3 July 2019 Nearly 130,000 troops have been naturalized since the Sept. 11 attacks alone. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "ICE deported veterans while ‘unaware’ it was required to carefully screen them, report says," 9 June 2019 Schreiner was never naturalized a U.S. citizen but lived as an American for 30 years. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, ""I'm an American": Man adopted by U.S. parents deported to Brazil," 5 June 2019 Despite the Trump administration’s controversial travel ban and rhetoric regarding immigrants, a total of 163,000 people have been naturalized during fiscal year 2018 — a 55 percent increase from the same time last year. — Christopher Carbone, Fox News, "On this Fourth of July, 14,000 immigrants become US citizens," 4 July 2018 On Friday, the ACLU said Barajas is the first known deported veteran to be naturalized as a US citizen. — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN, "A deported veteran is about to become a US citizen. Wait ... what?," 13 Apr. 2018 All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States. — Jess Bravin, WSJ, "Trump Wants to Curb Birthright Citizenship, Escalating Immigration Debate," 30 Oct. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'naturalize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for naturalize
naturalize
verb
English Language Learners Definition of naturalize
: to allow (someone who was born in a different country) to become a new citizen
: to cause (a plant or animal from another place) to begin to grow and live in a new area
See the full definition for naturalize in the English Language Learners Dictionary
naturalize
verb
nat·u·ral·ize
| \ ˈna-chə-rə-ˌlīz
, ˈnach-rə-\
, ˈnach-rə-\
naturalized;
naturalizing
Kids Definition of naturalize
1
: to become or allow to become a citizen
2
: to become or cause to become established as if native
naturalize a plant
naturalize
transitive verb
nat·u·ral·ize
| \ ˈna-chə-rə-ˌlīz
\
\
naturalized;
naturalizing
Legal Definition of naturalize
: to admit (a person) to citizenship
Other Words from naturalize
naturalization
\ ˌna-chə-rə-lə-ˈzā-shən
\
noun
\
noun
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