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

The silver mines have recently been nationalized, but obviously there’s a wealth disparity, there are two cultures living side by side and misunderstanding each other. —Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025

On the other hand, Democrats have worked to nationalize the race by tying Earle-Sears to Trump and his efforts to slash the federal workforce. —Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2025

Without nationalizing the whole product, the weekly streaming games the NBA is embracing here could potentially have minimal impact for the common fan. —John Cassillo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

In 1953: Iran’s military overthrew democratically elected Premier Mohammad Mosaddeq, who had nationalized the country’s oil industry. —Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 19 Aug. 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