nationalize

verb

na·​tion·​al·​ize ˈna-sh(ə-)nə-ˌlīz 

nationalized; nationalizing

transitive verb

1

: to give a national character to

2

: to invest control or ownership of in the national government

nationalization

ˌna-sh(ə-)nə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

nationalizer

ˈna-sh(ə-)nə-ˌlī-zər 

noun

Examples of nationalize in a Sentence

The government nationalized the health-care system in the mid-1950s.

nationalizing the country's oil supply

Recent Examples on the Web

In 1956: The Suez Canal was seized by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who nationalized it. —AZCentral.com, 27 July 2025

The aim is to stop the Iranian parliament’s attempt to nationalize the country’s lucrative oil industry. —Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 26 June 2025

Breyer wrote in a ruling tonight that the federal government did not have the authority to nationalize California’s force. —Laura Strickler, NBC news, 13 June 2025

In February 2024, the Rolf car dealership was nationalized and subsequently transferred to a Kremlin affiliate. —Andrei Yakovlev, Foreign Affairs, 16 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nationalize

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

Kids Definition

nationalize

verb

na·​tion·​al·​ize ˈnash-nəl-ˌīz 

-ən-ᵊl-

nationalized; nationalizing

1

: to make national

2

: to remove from private ownership and place under government control

nationalize railroads

nationalization

-ə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Legal Definition

nationalize

transitive verb

na·​tion·​al·​ize ˈna-shə-nə-ˌlīz 

nationalized; nationalizing

: to invest control or ownership of in the national government