pop ‧ u ‧ lar ‧ ize BrE AmE ( also popularise British English ) /ˈpɒpjələraɪz, ˈpɒpjʊləraɪz $ ˈpɑː-/ verb [transitive]
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ popularity ≠ ↑ unpopularity , ↑ popularization ; verb : ↑ popularize ; adverb : ↑ popularly ; adjective : ↑ popular ≠ ↑ unpopular ]
1 . to make something well known and liked:
Bob Marley popularized reggae music in the 1970s.
2 . to make a difficult subject or idea able to be easily understood by ordinary people who have no special knowledge about it:
Skinner was the psychologist who popularized behavior modification.
—popularization /ˌpɒpjələraɪˈzeɪʃ ə n, ˌpɒpjʊləraɪˈzeɪʃ ə n $ ˌpɑːpjələrə-/ noun [uncountable]