energize

energize — verb

1. to give a person more energy and enthusiasm, so that they feel active and motiva

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to give a person more energy and enthusiasm, so that they feel active and motivated

Example

A short walk outside energized Lucía before her afternoon meeting.

energize + [person] before [event]

The coach's halftime speech energized the team and turned the game around.

Common collocations
  • energize the team
  • energize the crowd
  • energize the staff
  • energize students
  • energize the workforce
Synonyms
  • invigorate

    more physical — suggests making the body feel refreshed rather than the mind

  • motivate

    focuses on mental drive and willingness to act, less about physical energy

  • stimulate

    can apply to mind or body, but lacks the emotional enthusiasm that energize carries

  • revitalize

    implies restoring energy after a period of tiredness or decline

Antonyms
  • drain

    to remove energy from someone

  • exhaust

    to use up someone's energy completely

Grammar Patterns

energize + [person]

be energized by + [noun phrase]

Usage Note

Frequently used in the passive (be energized by). Object is always a person or group — do not use this sense for machines or electrical devices (that is a separate technical meaning).

Common Mistakes

A cup of coffee energizes me up.
A cup of coffee energizes me.
energize does not need the particle 'up'.
The new battery energizes the flashlight.
The morning exercise energized the team.
energize for machines is a rare technical sense; in everyday English it only applies to people.

Word family

  • energy
    nounA2
  • energetic
    adjectiveB1
  • energetically
    adverbB2
  • energizing
    adjectiveB2
  • energized
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words describe making someone more active, but they differ in focus. Energize combines physical energy with emotional enthusiasm — a speech, a walk, or good food can energize you. Invigorate leans toward physical refreshment: a cold shower invigorates the body, not the mind. Motivate is purely about mental drive and purpose — you motivate someone to work toward a goal. Stimulate can apply to mind or senses (a stimulating conversation) but lacks the emotional lift of energize. Revitalize suggests restoring energy after decline: a vacation revitalizes a tired worker. In practice, 'The workshop energized the team' means they left feeling both energetic and eager, while 'The workshop motivated the team' focuses only on their willingness to act.

energize ↗invigoratemotivate ↗stimulate ↗revitalize

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • energize someone before [event]
  • be energized by [experience]

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Energize was formed in English around the 1750s by adding the verb suffix -ize to energy. Energy itself comes from the Greek word energeia (ἐνέργεια), meaning 'activity' or 'operation', which is built from en- ('in') and ergon ('work'). The word passed through Latin (energia) and French (énergie) before entering English. Originally meaning 'to put energy into something' in a physical sense, it later broadened to cover emotional and motivational contexts.