privatize

1 of 2

verb

pri·​vat·​ize ˈprī-və-ˌtīz 

privatized; privatizing; privatizes

transitive verb

: 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

privatization

ˌprī-və-tə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

privatization

2 of 2

noun

pri·​vat·​iza·​tion ˌprīvə̇tə̇ˈzāshən 

-tˌīˈz-

plural -s

1

: the tendency for an individual to withdraw from participation in social and especially political life into a world of personal concerns usually as a result of a feeling of insignificance and lack of understanding of complex social processes

2

: an act or the process of privatizing

Examples of privatize in a Sentence

Verb

The city decided to privatize the municipal power company.

a proposal to privatize the health-care system

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Cuba’s communist government will open key economic sectors such as banking and energy to private capital and foreign companies and begin privatizing state companies through share sales, the island’s prime minister told the National Assembly Thursday. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 19 June 2026

Reagan and Thatcher were dismantling the postwar labour settlement—deregulating industries, busting unions, privatizing state assets, cutting corporate taxes from highs above 50% to the 20s. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 17 June 2026

Locals rushed to find out that the beach where anyone for a thousand generations has felt rich just to be able to lie on it was being privatized by the world’s most powerful couple. — Marzio G. Mian, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026

Finally releasing its report last month, the group instead called for reviewing agency staffing, shifting more responsibility to state, local and tribal authorities and privatizing flood insurance. — Mallory Wilson, The Hill, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

private entry 1 + -ization

First Known Use

Verb

1948, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for privatize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

Legal Definition

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

privatization

ˌprī-və-tə-ˈzā-shən, -ˌtī- 

noun