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
Hayes asserted that the administration’s actions are a plan to privatize education.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2025
Trump suggested privatizing the Postal Service in 2018 but later dropped the plan.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2025
And Trump showed interest during his first administration in privatizing weather forecasting and technology.
—Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 15 Feb. 2025
But some of the policy plans that have been floated include moving the government's student loan portfolio over to the Treasury Department, changing the repayment plans that are available to borrowers and, in the most extreme possible change, privatizing the entire student loan system.
—Cheyenne Haslett, ABC News, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for privatize
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Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2025
Trump suggested privatizing the Postal Service in 2018 but later dropped the plan.
—George Petras, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2025
And Trump showed interest during his first administration in privatizing weather forecasting and technology.
—Hansi Lo Wang, NPR, 15 Feb. 2025
But some of the policy plans that have been floated include moving the government's student loan portfolio over to the Treasury Department, changing the repayment plans that are available to borrowers and, in the most extreme possible change, privatizing the entire student loan system.
—Cheyenne Haslett, ABC News, 12 Feb. 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 4 Mar. 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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