nationalize
verb
na·tion·al·ize
ˈna-sh(ə-)nə-ˌlīz 
nationalized; nationalizing
1
: to give a national character to
2
: to invest control or ownership of in the national government
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
Iran’s leader nationalized oil, threatening Western markets.
—
Sharyl Attkisson, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 2025
This was the fantasy in 1953, when the CIA and the British intelligence overthrew Mohammad Mossadegh, Iran’s prime minister who had nationalized the country’s oil, and delivered Iran to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s autocratic rule.
—Narges Bajoghli, Time, 19 June 2025
What followed was a week of protests that resulted in the Trump administration nationalizing the California National Guard — against the wishes and without the consent of Gov. Gavin Newsom — and deploying 4,000 Guardsmen.
—Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025
Still more bought up homes as the government cleared its books of troubled assets after nationalizing several banks amid the Eurozone debt crisis.
—Benjamin Cunningham Edu Bayer, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nationalize
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Sharyl Attkisson, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 2025
This was the fantasy in 1953, when the CIA and the British intelligence overthrew Mohammad Mossadegh, Iran’s prime minister who had nationalized the country’s oil, and delivered Iran to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s autocratic rule.
—Narges Bajoghli, Time, 19 June 2025
What followed was a week of protests that resulted in the Trump administration nationalizing the California National Guard — against the wishes and without the consent of Gov. Gavin Newsom — and deploying 4,000 Guardsmen.
—Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025
Still more bought up homes as the government cleared its books of troubled assets after nationalizing several banks amid the Eurozone debt crisis.
—Benjamin Cunningham Edu Bayer, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nationalize
Cite this Entry
“Nationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalize. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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
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