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
In 2025, the Pentagon explored privatizing commissaries, soliciting interest from commercial retailers and investment firms to take over operations at 178 domestic locations.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Billionaires talk openly about eliminating government oversight, terminating the Civil Service system, and ending or privatizing Social Security and Medicare.
—Jay Reddick, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Others have voiced opposition to privatizing TSA.
—Kelly Yamanouchi, AJC.com, 25 Mar. 2026
The videos posted online appeared to show a prominent lawyer reporting corruption on the part of the mayor of Ljubljana, a close ally of Golob, and a former energy executive claiming that the prime minister was willing to privatize a key power company.
—Jan Bratanic Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for privatize
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
Billionaires talk openly about eliminating government oversight, terminating the Civil Service system, and ending or privatizing Social Security and Medicare.
—Jay Reddick, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Others have voiced opposition to privatizing TSA.
—Kelly Yamanouchi, AJC.com, 25 Mar. 2026
The videos posted online appeared to show a prominent lawyer reporting corruption on the part of the mayor of Ljubljana, a close ally of Golob, and a former energy executive claiming that the prime minister was willing to privatize a key power company.
—Jan Bratanic Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 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 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
