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
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
See All Example Sentences for privatize
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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
See All Example Sentences for privatize
Cite this Entry
“Privatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/privatize. Accessed 24 Jun. 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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