SINCE 1828
urbanize
verb
ur·ban·ize
| \ ˈər-bə-ˌnīz
\
\
urbanized;
urbanizing
Definition of urbanize
1
: to cause to take on urban characteristics
urbanized areas
2
: to impart an urban way of life to
urbanize migrants from rural areas
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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 on the Web
Much of Latin America also urbanized rapidly without services such as schooling and policing, creating belts of excluded groups around cities. — David Luhnow, WSJ, "Latin America Is the Murder Capital of the World," 20 Sep. 2018 Cities in the less developed and more rapidly urbanizing parts of the world, such as Ho Chi Minh City and Mumbai, may experience even more substantial losses as a percentage of their total economic output. — Richard Florida, WIRED, "Climate Change Will Force the Poor From Their Homes," 13 July 2018 But Musk is confronting a major problem facing today’s rapidly urbanizing populations. — Larry Greenemeier, Scientific American, "First SpaceX Hyperloop Transit Pod Contender Unveiled [Video]," 14 May 2016 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. 2018These 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.
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