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
And while the notion of privatizing a public liberal arts college may seem radical, it can also be understood as an escalation of a larger pattern.
—Alice Herman, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
As in several neighboring cities in Jackson County, trash services in Lee’s Summit are currently privatized, with individual people, businesses and homeowners’ associations finding their own providers.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2025
In the storm’s aftermath, the levee system was rebuilt, public schools were privatized, most public housing projects were demolished and a hospital was shuttered.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
After the storm, the levee system was rebuilt, public schools were privatized, most public housing projects were demolished and a public hospital known for serving the city’s poor was shuttered.
—Jack Brook, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for privatize
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Alice Herman, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
As in several neighboring cities in Jackson County, trash services in Lee’s Summit are currently privatized, with individual people, businesses and homeowners’ associations finding their own providers.
—Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2025
In the storm’s aftermath, the levee system was rebuilt, public schools were privatized, most public housing projects were demolished and a hospital was shuttered.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
After the storm, the levee system was rebuilt, public schools were privatized, most public housing projects were demolished and a public hospital known for serving the city’s poor was shuttered.
—Jack Brook, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for privatize
Cite this Entry
“Privatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/privatize. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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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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