privatize

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

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

Some public school advocates have called the tax credit as a wolf in sheep’s clothing aimed at further privatizing public education. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Its plan to privatize the country’s fuel pipeline company was eventually approved after various cases were dismissed. — Martin K.n Siele, semafor.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Thompson then warned that San Francisco venture capitalists like Jones want to sunset federal programs and privatize Social Security. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026

That’s because electricity, like every other commodity in this new New York, is privatized, under the control of a company called Tensor. — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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