urbanize

verb ur·ban·ize \ ˈər-bə-ˌnīz \

Updated on: 23 May 2018

Definition of urbanize

urbanized; urbanizing

transitive verb

1 : to cause to take on urban characteristics

urbanized areas

2 : to impart an urban way of life to

urbanize migrants from rural areas

See urbanize defined for kids

Examples of urbanize in a Sentence

every September the city of Boston urbanizes a new crop of college students from small towns across the country

Recent Examples of urbanize from the Web

But for a world that’s rapidly urbanizing and heating, the truly cool tech is bikes.

— clive thompson, WIRED, "The Vehicle of the Future Has Two Wheels, Handlebars, and Is a Bike," 13 May 2018
Many areas have urbanized, with more walkable streets, independent boutiques and eateries.

— katy mclaughlin, WSJ, "Living in ‘the Valley’ Is, Like, Cool Now," 29 Mar. 2018
The country was rapidly urbanizing; previously far-flung places were newly linked by railroads.

— rachel monroe, The Atlantic, "The Perfect Man Who Wasn't," 6 Mar. 2018
Africa is urbanizing faster than any other region of the world.

— jeffrey gettleman, New York Times, "In the Land of the Skinny, People are Getting Fat," 27 Jan. 2018
Pockets like North Hollywood’s Arts District and Burbank’s Magnolia Park are urbanizing fast, making for some wonderfully walkable neighborhoods.

— zoie matthew, Los Angeles Magazine, "Why You Should Say Yes to a Walk Through NoHo and Burbank," 25 Jan. 2018
Mobile homes are most often found in rural areas, and the Sacramento region has urbanized significantly over the last few decades.

— phillip reese, sacbee, "Sacramento region: Mobile homes are cheap, but increasingly rare | The Sacramento Bee," 12 Jan. 2018
Is this a solution to the continent's rapidly urbanizing population?

— chris giles, CNN, "African 'smart cities:' A high-tech solution to overpopulated megacities?," 12 Dec. 2017
As the human population continues to urbanize and consume more fossil fuel, the health, social and economic impacts of summer urban overheating loom as major threats to the well-being of city dwellers worldwide.

— merrill singer, Slate Magazine, "Climate Change’s Heat Waves Will Particularly Threaten Minorities and the Poor," 8 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'urbanize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of urbanize

1836

in the meaning defined at sense 2

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urbanize Synonyms

Synonyms

citify;

Related Words

civilize, cultivate;

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See words that rhyme with urbanize Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for urbanize Britannica English: Translation of urbanize for Arabic speakers

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urbanize

Definition of urbanize

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