initialize

initialize — verb

1. to provide the first data values and conditions that a piece of software needs b

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to provide the first data values and conditions that a piece of software needs before it can begin operating.

Example

Before running the simulation, Layla initialized all the data fields in the program.

transitive + noun phrase (data fields)

The system crashed because the developer forgot to initialize the counter variable.

passive framing: 'the system crashed because [agent] forgot to initialize'

Common collocations
  • initialize a variable
  • initialize an array
  • initialize the system
  • initialize the database
  • initialize to zero
  • initialize to null
  • initialize with default values
Synonyms
  • set up

    more general and informal; can refer to any kind of preparation, not just data

  • configure

    focuses on arranging existing options rather than assigning initial values

  • prepare

    much broader; does not carry a technical computing connotation

Grammar Patterns

initialize + noun phrase

Usage Note

American spelling (initialize) is the global standard in computing; the British variant initialise also appears. The passive form is frequent in technical writing: 'the array is initialized to zero.'

Common Mistakes

Please initialize the computer after installing the driver.
Please restart the computer after installing the driver.
'initialize' sets starting values inside a program; for turning a machine off and on, use 'restart' or 'reboot.'
I initialized the printer by plugging it in.
I configured the printer settings before the first print job.
'initialize' refers to assigning data values, not connecting or powering up hardware.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Initialize, set up, configure, and boot all refer to preparing a computer system, but they differ in scope and technical precision. Initialize is the most specific: it means assigning starting data values (such as setting a counter to zero) so a program can begin running. Set up is the broadest everyday term: you set up a printer, a network, or a new phone, and it often involves physical assembly as well as software choices. Configure is about adjusting existing settings to suit your needs — choosing preferences, enabling features — rather than providing first-time starting values. Boot refers strictly to starting a computer's operating system; it is a hardware-and-firmware action, not about data values inside a running program. For example: 'Layla initialized the score variable to zero,' but 'Hari configured the game's graphics settings' and 'the computer boots from the solid-state drive.'

set up ↗configure ↗boot ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be initialized to zero
  • initialize with default values

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglishEnglish (computing)

Comes from Latin initium, meaning 'beginning' or 'start,' combined with the English verb suffix -ize ('to make or cause'). The computing sense took hold in the 1950s as programmers needed a word for assigning starting values to variables and memory locations.