sync

Formssyncs, syncing, synced

1. 1
   nouncolloquialuncountableabbreviationclipping

   Clipping of synchronization or synchrony.

   The drummer and the bassist locked into sync for the whole set.

   Her phone and laptop drifted out of sync after the update.

   Note

   A clipped form, cut down from synchronization (or synchrony) and kept for casual use. As a noun it is usually uncountable, and it lives mostly in two phrases: in sync and out of sync. Things either keep time together or drift apart, whether they are two musicians or two devices. In careful or formal writing, the full word synchronization is the safer choice.

2. 2
   verbcolloquialtransitive or intransitive

   To synchronize, especially data across devices, clocks, or music matched with video.

   Most apps sync your settings automatically across every device you own.

   The editor synced the soundtrack precisely to the action on screen.

   Similarsynchronize, match, align

   Note

   Two spellings compete in the inflected forms. Synced and syncing keep the short stem as it stands, while synched and synching bring back the ch of synchronize. Pick one and stay consistent. The usual construction names what is matched and then where it goes, with to: you sync files to your devices, or sync a phone to a laptop.

3. 3
   nouncolloquialuncountable

   A sense of harmony, in which people or efforts are well aligned with one another.

   The whole band played with an easy sync that the audience could feel.

   By the end of the project, the partners had found a real sync.

   Similarharmony, rapport, chemistry

4. 4
   verbcolloquialtransitive or intransitive

   To write all pending input/output operations from memory to disk.

   On older systems, you must sync repeatedly to ensure every buffer reaches the disk.

   The daemon syncs the filesystem at fixed intervals to limit data loss.

   Similarflush

   Note

   A systems term with a narrower meaning than the everyday verb. Nothing is matched across devices. Instead, data the machine has been holding in memory is forced onto the disk itself. Until that happens, a write a program treats as finished can still be lost if the system fails. That is why filesystems are synced at regular intervals.

5. 5
   nouncolloquialuncountable

   Permission to pair a piece of music with visual media such as a film, obtained through a music synchronization license.

   Indie artists often rely on a single sync to fund their next album.

   The label held out for a higher fee before granting the sync.

   Note

   Music-industry shorthand in which the license itself takes the clipped name. The noun is usually uncountable, but here it often behaves like a countable deal: a sync, a single sync, granting the sync. Each license pairs a piece of music with a film or other visual work. It is the business side of matching music to video.

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