synchronize

Synchronize is a verb meaning to cause to occur at the same time or rate, or to bring into agreement or coordination. The term comes from Latin synchronizare, from Greek syn- meaning together and chronos meaning time.

In everyday use, synchronization refers to aligning timing or pace across components, devices, or processes. Time synchronization is a common and critical application, ensuring clocks in networks, data centers, and consumer devices agree. Protocols such as the Network Time Protocol (NTP) and the Precision Time Protocol (PTP) implement clock discipline, offset and delay measurements, and master-slave hierarchies to reduce drift and jitter.

Data and file synchronization aims to keep information current across locations or devices. Methods range from scheduled or real-time replication to differential transfers, with concepts such as eventual versus strong consistency guiding how updates propagate and resolve conflicts.

In multimedia, synchronization ensures that audio and video streams, captions, and subtitles stay aligned with the elapsed playback time, preserving lip-sync and frame accuracy.

In computing and distributed systems, synchronization involves ordering events and coordinating activities. Concepts include logical clocks (Lamport clocks), vector clocks, and synchronization barriers in parallel computing, which help prevent race conditions and ensure coherent operation.

Biology and social phenomena also employ the term to describe coordinated timing, such as synchronized circadian rhythms, synchronized flashing in organisms, or crowd timing in collective activities.

See also synchrony and synchronization.