as in to civilize
to accustom to the ways of the city every September the city of Boston urbanizes a new crop of college students from small towns across the country

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Recent Examples of urbanize South Korea, for example, has urbanized at blistering speed, with the percentage of people living in and around cities doubling between 1966 and 1986, from 33 to 67 percent. Monica Das Gupta, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2017 The urge to urbanize is hard-wired in us because cities are life. Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2023 The ecological consequences of such a timing shift could thus be serious, especially as our world continues to urbanize at an increasing pace. Breanna Draxler, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2013 Until recently, a property boom helped fuel China's rapid growth, as Chinese developers powered the country's efforts to urbanize and build a modern economy. Grady McGregor, Fortune, 18 July 2022 See all Example Sentences for urbanize 

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“Urbanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/urbanize. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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