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
The plaintiffs allege that the project would illegally privatize public-trust land.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 31 Jan. 2025
According to Beene, privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will increase mortgage costs in the short term, as the entities will be seen as riskier without government backing.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Business leaders have privatized the benefits our planet provides and socialized the costs of its destruction, impacting communities that now face biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, extreme weather, and the loss of healthy topsoil.
—Rose Marcario, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025
Related Articles Once privatized, Nordstrom isn’t expected to diverge much from its current priorities involving aggressive expansion of the Rack off-price chain, digital growth and comp gains at the Nordstrom upscale department store business.
—David Moin, WWD, 24 Dec. 2024
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Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 31 Jan. 2025
According to Beene, privatizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will increase mortgage costs in the short term, as the entities will be seen as riskier without government backing.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Business leaders have privatized the benefits our planet provides and socialized the costs of its destruction, impacting communities that now face biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, extreme weather, and the loss of healthy topsoil.
—Rose Marcario, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025
Related Articles Once privatized, Nordstrom isn’t expected to diverge much from its current priorities involving aggressive expansion of the Rack off-price chain, digital growth and comp gains at the Nordstrom upscale department store business.
—David Moin, WWD, 24 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for privatize
Dictionary Entries Near privatize
Cite this Entry
“Privatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/privatize. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.
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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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