federalize

verb

fed·​er·​al·​ize ˈfe-d(ə-)rə-ˌlīz 

federalized; federalizing

transitive verb

1

: to unite in or under a federal system

2

: to bring under the jurisdiction of a federal government

Examples of federalize in a Sentence

The measure federalizes several state programs.

Recent Examples on the Web

The National Guard in blue states began to defect after being federalized by the president, loosening his hold on the military. —Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026

The 1807 law allows the president to federalize the National Guard and law enforcement against the will of state leaders. —Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 20 Jan. 2026

The Insurrection Act allows the President to deploy active-duty armed forces or to federalize and deploy National Guard forces to quell civil unrest or to execute the law in a crisis. —Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026

If invoked, the president can authorize active-duty military forces or federalized National Guard units to operate domestically, according to PolitiFact. —Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1801, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for federalize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

Kids Definition

federalize

verb

fed·​er·​al·​ize ˈfed-(ə-)rə-ˌlīz 

federalized; federalizing

: to unite in or under a federal system of authority

federalization

ˌfed-(ə-)rə-lə-ˈzā-shən

noun