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 sale comes after a difficult few years for Royal Mail, which was privatized in 2013.
—Anna Cooban, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
An Australian slipped in mud and Jon Tester was cracking down on price gouging and military veterans warned that Tim Sheehy wants to privatize health care and veterans’ benefits.
—Michelle Weber, Longreads, 3 Nov. 2024
Almost all states in the U.S. have privatized Medicaid programs administered with the health of insurers like UnitedHealth Group’s UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, Centene, Molina Healthcare and an array of others.
—Bruce Japsen, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
At the moment in Iceland, there is no regulation on whether lava can be privatized, like oil.
—Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 27 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for privatize 
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Anna Cooban, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
An Australian slipped in mud and Jon Tester was cracking down on price gouging and military veterans warned that Tim Sheehy wants to privatize health care and veterans’ benefits.
—Michelle Weber, Longreads, 3 Nov. 2024
Almost all states in the U.S. have privatized Medicaid programs administered with the health of insurers like UnitedHealth Group’s UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans, Centene, Molina Healthcare and an array of others.
—Bruce Japsen, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
At the moment in Iceland, there is no regulation on whether lava can be privatized, like oil.
—Elizabeth Fazzare, Architectural Digest, 27 Nov. 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 25 Dec. 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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