privatize
verb
pri·vat·ize ˈprī-və-ˌtīz 
privatized; privatizing; privatizes
: to make private
especially : to change from public to private control or ownership
privatize an industry
The mayor's threat to privatize trash collection shook things up. —
Jeff Bailey
Jeff Bailey
Examples of privatize in a Sentence
The city decided to privatize the municipal power company. a proposal to privatize the health-care system
Recent Examples on the Web
The lawsuit, which alleges the professional soccer stadium use would illegally privatize public parkland, is under consideration by the state Supreme Judicial Court. —Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026 With SpaceX, Muskism’s pursuit of state symbiosis converged with the privatizing impulses of the early 21st century to find a deeper channel. —Ben Tarnoff, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026 Germany is taking steps to privatize the division of Russian gas supplier Gazprom that was seized by Berlin in 2022. —J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026 Yet moving airport security screening to private contractors does not mean that aviation security should be privatized. —Sheldon H. Jacobson, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for privatize
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026 With SpaceX, Muskism’s pursuit of state symbiosis converged with the privatizing impulses of the early 21st century to find a deeper channel. —Ben Tarnoff, Big Think, 23 Apr. 2026 Germany is taking steps to privatize the division of Russian gas supplier Gazprom that was seized by Berlin in 2022. —J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026 Yet moving airport security screening to private contractors does not mean that aviation security should be privatized. —Sheldon H. Jacobson, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for privatize
Cite this Entry
“Privatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/privatize. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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privatize
transitive verb
pri·va·tize ˈprī-və-ˌtīz
privatized; privatizing
: to make private
especially : to change (as a business or industry) from public to private control or ownership
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