federalize

verb fed·er·al·ize \ ˈfe-d(ə-)rə-ˌlīz \

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of federalize

federalized; federalizing

transitive verb

1 : to unite in or under a federal system

2 : to bring under the jurisdiction of a federal government

See federalize defined for English-language learners

See federalize defined for kids

Examples of federalize in a Sentence

The measure federalizes several state programs.

Recent Examples of federalize from the Web

Title 10 federalizes the National Guard, which means those troops are prohibited from enforcing domestic laws by the Posse Comitatus Act (PCA).

— NBC News, "Does Trump have the power to send National Guard troops to the border?," 5 Apr. 2018
At the height of the war in Iraq and months before a troop surge there, Bush federalized 6,000 National Guard troops in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.

— alex horton, Washington Post, "Trump claimed his plan to put troops on the border is extraordinary. It was routine for Obama.," 4 Apr. 2018
Jones and Hood were finally admitted, four and a half hours later, after Alabama National Guard troops, federalized by President Kennedy over the phone, arrived on the scene.

— shammara lawrence, Teen Vogue, "Women's History Month: 3 Women Who Changed America," 30 Mar. 2018
President Dwight Eisenhower sent in troops from the 101st Airborne Division to compel local desegregation and protect the nine black students while federalizing the Arkansas National Guard to block Faubus.

— michael harriot, The Root, "Millions of Students Are Quietly Being Taught the Koch Brothers’ Whitewashed Version of Black History," 14 Mar. 2018
And in the aftermath of the deadly shooting in Parkland, Florida this week, Burns tweeted that the U.S. should federalize security in public schools, likening it to TSA.

— ali vitali, NBC News, "Outspoken pro-Trump pastor Mark Burns joins the race for Gowdy seat," 16 Feb. 2018
Wouldn’t federalizing these social programs undermine the role of the states as laboratories of democracy?

— reihan salam, Slate Magazine, "Why ending the state-local deduction is good for red and blue states.," 5 Dec. 2017
Bringing Medicaid costs under control would be a much easier sell if Congress moved to federalize the cost of providing for elderly Medicaid beneficiaries.

— reihan salam, Slate Magazine, "How to Fix Trumpcare," 11 May 2017
The logical corollary of ending SALT would be to move toward federalizing social programs aimed at bettering the lives of the poor, such as Medicaid.

— reihan salam, Slate Magazine, "Why ending the state-local deduction is good for red and blue states.," 5 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'federalize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of federalize

1801

FEDERALIZE Defined for English Language Learners

federalize

verb

Definition of federalize for English Language Learners

: to join (states, nations, etc.) together in or under a federal system of government
: to cause (something) to be under the control of a federal government