transform
1 of 2verb
trans·form tran(t)s-ˈfȯrm 
transformed; transforming; transforms
transitive verb
1
a
: to change in composition or structure
b
: to change the outward form or appearance of
c
: to change in character or condition : convert
2
: to subject to mathematical transformation
3
: to cause (a cell) to undergo genetic transformation
intransitive verb
: to become transformed : change
transformable
tran(t)s-ˈfȯr-mə-bəl
adjective transform
2 of 2noun
trans·form ˈtran(t)s-ˌfȯrm
1
: a mathematical element obtained from another by transformation
2
: transformation sense 3a(1)
3
: a linguistic structure (such as a sentence) produced by means of a transformation
"the duckling is killed by the farmer" is a transform of "the farmer kills the duckling"
Synonyms
Verb
- alchemize
- convert
- make over
- metamorphose
- transfigure
- transmute
- transpose
- transubstantiate
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb A little creativity can transform an ordinary meal into a special event. The old factory has been transformed into an art gallery.
Recent Examples on the Web
Giacomo Bologna, Baltimore Sun, 6 Sep. 2022 The Big One is overdue, and experts have long warned that a mega-deluge, created by a relentless month-long rainstorm, could transform the Central Valley into a temporary inland sea. Ingfei Chen, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2022 The judges have been blown-away by seeing performers who have only the vaguest resemblance to them—a somewhat similar face and body shape—suddenly transform into their digital doppelgangers, right before their eyes. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2022 It’s the flexibility to literally transform and go somewhere else and meet other characters and find other planets and discover new things. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2022 The university recently received its largest gift yet at $25 million to help transform its business school, as well a $10 million gift to build the new Dicke Hall, the university’s new home for the humanities. Danya Perez, San Antonio Express-News, 29 Aug. 2022 Longtime advocates say the money could transform the program, currently funded at $36 million, from a technical assistance office into a major source of tree planting and maintenance work. Tribune News Service, oregonlive, 28 Aug. 2022 Often, the greatest bottlenecks to meaningful change are the legacy data pipelines that were built to extract, transform and load data from systems of record into systems of insight. Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022 The white flower heads usually transform to pink or tan as the weather cools. Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Aug. 2022 See More
Verb
Brenner frames it as an opportunity to transform neighborhoods and address the crisis of vacant buildings in Baltimore, where the official count of vacant houses hovers around 15,000 (though many developers say the actual number is higher). Giacomo Bologna, Baltimore Sun, 6 Sep. 2022 The Big One is overdue, and experts have long warned that a mega-deluge, created by a relentless month-long rainstorm, could transform the Central Valley into a temporary inland sea. Ingfei Chen, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2022 The judges have been blown-away by seeing performers who have only the vaguest resemblance to them—a somewhat similar face and body shape—suddenly transform into their digital doppelgangers, right before their eyes. Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2022 It’s the flexibility to literally transform and go somewhere else and meet other characters and find other planets and discover new things. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Sep. 2022 The university recently received its largest gift yet at $25 million to help transform its business school, as well a $10 million gift to build the new Dicke Hall, the university’s new home for the humanities. Danya Perez, San Antonio Express-News, 29 Aug. 2022 Longtime advocates say the money could transform the program, currently funded at $36 million, from a technical assistance office into a major source of tree planting and maintenance work. Tribune News Service, oregonlive, 28 Aug. 2022 Often, the greatest bottlenecks to meaningful change are the legacy data pipelines that were built to extract, transform and load data from systems of record into systems of insight. Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes, 26 Aug. 2022 The white flower heads usually transform to pink or tan as the weather cools. Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English, from Middle French transformer, from Latin transformare, from trans- + formare to form, from forma form
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
1853, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing transform
Kids Definition
transform
verb
trans·form trans-ˈfȯrm
transformed; transforming
: to change completely
The pumpkin had been transformed into a gleaming coach … Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted
Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted Medical Definition
transform
transitive verb
trans·form tran(t)s-ˈfȯ(ə)rm
: to cause to change: as
a
: to change (a current) in potential (as from high voltage to low) or in type (as from alternating to direct)
b
: to cause (a cell) to undergo genetic transformation
intransitive verb
: to become transformed
transforming
verb
as in converting
to change in form, appearance, or use by clicking a few buttons, this toy car can be transformed into a robot Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- converting
- transmuting
- transfiguring
- metamorphosing
- remodeling
- reworking
- replacing
- redesigning
- altering
- transposing
- modifying
- redefining
- adjusting
- recasting
- transubstantiating
- alchemizing
- remaking
- mutating
- refashioning
- reengineering
- revising
- deforming
- distorting
- regenerating
- supplanting
- transmogrifying
- disfiguring
- revamping
- redoing
- making over
- substituting
- displacing
- varying