nationalize
verb
na·tion·al·ize
ˈna-sh(ə-)nə-ˌlīz 
nationalized; nationalizing
1
: to give a national character to
2
: to invest control or ownership of in the national government
Examples of nationalize in a Sentence
The government nationalized the health-care system in the mid-1950s.
nationalizing the country's oil supply
Recent Examples on the Web
Without nationalizing the whole product, the weekly streaming games the NBA is embracing here could potentially have minimal impact for the common fan.
—
John Cassillo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
In 1953: Iran’s military overthrew democratically elected Premier Mohammad Mosaddeq, who had nationalized the country’s oil industry.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Starting in the nineteen-tens, with his acquisition of a string of Long Island casinos, and continuing into the twenties, Rothstein was the first to regionalize—and then nationalize—the layoff.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
There will always be people who feel that problems should be tackled even if the only remedies—taxing the rich, nationalizing industry, regulating private enterprise, redeeming power and policy from military or civilian bureaucracy—are radical.
—John Kenneth Galbraith, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nationalize
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John Cassillo, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
In 1953: Iran’s military overthrew democratically elected Premier Mohammad Mosaddeq, who had nationalized the country’s oil industry.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Starting in the nineteen-tens, with his acquisition of a string of Long Island casinos, and continuing into the twenties, Rothstein was the first to regionalize—and then nationalize—the layoff.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
There will always be people who feel that problems should be tackled even if the only remedies—taxing the rich, nationalizing industry, regulating private enterprise, redeeming power and policy from military or civilian bureaucracy—are radical.
—John Kenneth Galbraith, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nationalize
Cite this Entry
“Nationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalize. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nationalize
verb
na·tion·al·ize
ˈnash-nəl-ˌīz
-ən-ᵊl-
nationalized; nationalizing
1
: to make national
2
: to remove from private ownership and place under government control
nationalize railroads
Legal Definition
nationalize
transitive verb
na·tion·al·ize
ˈna-shə-nə-ˌlīz
nationalized; nationalizing
: to invest control or ownership of in the national government
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