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
SpaceX is the implied template: Musk will advocate for privatizing the government, outsourcing the affairs of state to nimble entrepreneurs and adroit technologists.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2024
Project 2025, which Trump claims to know nothing about, calls for privatizing FEMA and doing away with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which tracks hurricanes.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024
In the economy, your plan is to privatize most Venezuelan public assets, especially in terms of health, oil and education.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 25 July 2024
Some conservatives have pushed to privatize the program and create personal savings accounts in their place.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for privatize 
Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2024
Project 2025, which Trump claims to know nothing about, calls for privatizing FEMA and doing away with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which tracks hurricanes.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2024
In the economy, your plan is to privatize most Venezuelan public assets, especially in terms of health, oil and education.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 25 July 2024
Some conservatives have pushed to privatize the program and create personal savings accounts in their place.
—Noah Bierman, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for privatize
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'privatize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near privatize
Cite this Entry
“Privatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/privatize. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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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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