From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcanonizecan‧on‧ize (also canonise British English) /ˈkænənaɪz/ verb [transitive] RRCto officially state that a dead person is a saint —canonization /ˌkænənaɪˈzeɪʃən $ -nənə-/ noun [countable, uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
canonize• But her message of simplicity and sacrifice in everyday life won her a strong following, and in 1925 she was canonized.• He had spent his early years as a priest in the papal service under Pius X, whom he canonized.• Mamita, furious at hearing her husband canonized at her expense, took her revenge.• Josaphat has the distinction of being the first Eastern saint to be canonized in Rome, in 1876.• When Bernard was canonized on 18 January 1175 this also was the day that he was given.• For some reason, Bridget was canonized three times. 