1. setting up or preparing something for use; putting into an initial state or condition
Usage: British English spelling; American English uses 'initializing'; commonly used in computing and technology contexts
2. in computing, assigning an initial value to a variable or data structure
Usage: technical term; commonly used in programming

Examples

• The technician is initialising the new server before connecting it to the network.
• Before running the program, you must initialize all variables to prevent errors.
• The system is initialising the hard drive and will be ready in a few minutes.
• She spent the morning initialising the equipment for the laboratory experiment.
• The software is initialising the database connection.
• We are initialising the project by setting clear goals and timelines.