industrialize

verb

in·​dus·​tri·​al·​ize in-ˈdə-strē-ə-ˌlīz How to pronounce industrialize (audio)
industrialized; industrializing

transitive verb

: to make industrial
industrialize an agricultural region

intransitive verb

: to become industrial

Examples of industrialize in a Sentence

The government hopes to industrialize some of the agricultural regions.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
But industrializing such breakthroughs often takes decades. Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025 As the Northeast industrialized, agriculture moved west, eastern forests returned, and wildlife made a comeback. Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Oct. 2025 But as societies industrialized and began widely burning fossil fuels in the 19th century, greenhouse gases built up in the atmosphere, trapping heat and transforming Earth and its climate in many ways besides raising global temperatures. Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2025 This reduces one of many outdated roadblocks on the path toward building new factories and industrializing America. Richard Stern, Boston Herald, 14 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for industrialize

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of industrialize was in 1845

Cite this Entry

“Industrialize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/industrialize. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

industrialize

verb
in·​dus·​tri·​al·​ize in-ˈdəs-trē-ə-ˌlīz How to pronounce industrialize (audio)
industrialized; industrializing
: to make or become industrial
industrialize an agricultural region
industrialization noun

More from Merriam-Webster on industrialize

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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