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
Just such a breakdown had occurred in Vietnam and Burma in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when colonial authorities began to intrude into peasant life, privatizing village lands, forests, and fisheries and introducing a multitude of punishing taxes.
—Nikil Saval, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Democratic lawmakers pressed him on whether the Trump administration intends to privatize Social Security or reduce benefits.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025
In the 1970s, California Gov. Ronald Reagan developed his national reputation as a leading figure in the conservative movement in part through his high-profile attempts to cut and privatize Medicaid services in his state.
—Ben Zdencanovic, The Conversation, 18 Mar. 2025
Musk himself has previously said the agency should be privatized, while Trump has also reportedly floated the idea of taking control of the USPS.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for privatize
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Nikil Saval, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025
Democratic lawmakers pressed him on whether the Trump administration intends to privatize Social Security or reduce benefits.
—Hannah Parry, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025
In the 1970s, California Gov. Ronald Reagan developed his national reputation as a leading figure in the conservative movement in part through his high-profile attempts to cut and privatize Medicaid services in his state.
—Ben Zdencanovic, The Conversation, 18 Mar. 2025
Musk himself has previously said the agency should be privatized, while Trump has also reportedly floated the idea of taking control of the USPS.
—Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for privatize
Cite this Entry
“Privatize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/privatize. Accessed 28 Apr. 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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