privatize
verb
pri·vat·ize
ˈprī-və-ˌtīz 
privatized; privatizing; privatizes
: to make private
especially
: to change from public to private control or ownership
privatize an industry
The mayor's threat to privatize trash collection shook things up. —
Jeff Bailey
Jeff Bailey Examples of privatize in a Sentence
The city decided to privatize the municipal power company.
a proposal to privatize the health-care system
Recent Examples on the Web
If economic rationality alone served as the driving reason for enclosure, then privatizing wastes, land considered no good for farming, would have made no sense.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
In 2025, the Department of Defense explored privatizing commissaries, soliciting interest from commercial retailers and investment firms to explore taking over operations at 178 domestic locations.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
More IPOs may be on the cards as Kenya’s government looks to privatize further state assets to fund infrastructure projects.
—Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 26 Jan. 2026
We are being billed based on an obsolete business model that privatizes the profits and socializes the costs.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for privatize
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Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
In 2025, the Department of Defense explored privatizing commissaries, soliciting interest from commercial retailers and investment firms to explore taking over operations at 178 domestic locations.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 18 Feb. 2026
More IPOs may be on the cards as Kenya’s government looks to privatize further state assets to fund infrastructure projects.
—Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 26 Jan. 2026
We are being billed based on an obsolete business model that privatizes the profits and socializes the costs.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for privatize
Cite this Entry
“Privatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/privatize. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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privatize
transitive verb
pri·va·tize
ˈprī-və-ˌtīz
privatized; privatizing
: to make private
especially
: to change (as a business or industry) from public to private control or ownership
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