centralize
Americanverb (used with object)
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centralizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
centralized,
past participle, past
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centralizing
present participle
-
to draw to or gather about a center.
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to bring under one control, especially in government.
to centralize budgeting in one agency.
verb (used without object)
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centralizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
centralized,
past participle, past
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centralizing
present participle
verb
-
to draw or move (something) to or towards a centre
-
to bring or come under central control, esp governmental control
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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centralizesimple
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centralizessimple
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have centralizedperfect
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has centralizedperfect
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am centralizingprogressive
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are centralizingprogressive
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is centralizingprogressive
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have been centralizingperfect progressive
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has been centralizingperfect progressive
Past
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centralizedsimple
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had centralizedperfect
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was centralizingprogressive
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were centralizingprogressive
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had been centralizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of centralize
Explanation
To centralize is to join together or concentrate in one main place. Instead of keeping coins and bills stashed all around your room, it might be wise to centralize your savings in your piggy bank. The word centralize is often used by companies, organizations, or governments when they reorganize or streamline their operations by focusing control in one main location or authority. A school district might centralize student records by putting them all in one location instead of keeping them at separate schools. A corporation may centralize its operations by putting all its managers in one main office, or headquarters, shutting down regional locations in order to cut costs.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Several of the executives are due to attend the launch of America.gov, an AI-powered government website designed to centralize services across federal agencies.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
The ice-cream maker will eventually need to condense and centralize all of the AI agents created inside the company, though it’s aiming not to disrupt employee creativity in the process, Friedlander said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
The move comes after Disney’s board and newly installed Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro unveiled a more streamlined management structure that sought to centralize its sprawling marketing operations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026
Now that we have one clear policy, we can update all of our Help pages and try to centralize this a bit more.
From Slate ● Apr. 1, 2026
The plan was accepted at most branches, but some of the more far-flung outposts felt that the plan was an effort by Jo-hannesburg to centralize control over the regions.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
“It’s actually a very efficient process, in the sense that it centralizes what otherwise would be distributed, more expensive, complicated, and in many cases, therefore just wouldn’t happen at all.”
From Slate ● Dec. 18, 2025
The bill centralizes responsibility in the Governor’s Office for coordinating this care by creating a new care coordinator staff position.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 23, 2023
The biggest problem is that it centralizes Europeanness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2023
Fan has been working with Chinese institutions to set up more community care, rather than the current system, which centralizes care in major hospitals.
From Washington Post ● May 19, 2022
The "Word" which centralizes the activity of the Spirit, is therefore that of the Spirit itself.
From The Law and the Word by T. (Thomas) Troward
When asked whether West Virginia’s centralized approach to data-center development made more sense than the way most states are doing it, Van Nieuwerburgh called it “interesting.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
Nike is known to have a very centralized system of product development, so it will be interesting to watch whether Sparks’s China team is able to churn out hits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Nor will media literacy programs, stronger education about viruses, centralized hubs for medical information, “prebunking” campaigns, or community engagement programs—all good ideas from experts that still cannot meet the sheer force of our paranoia.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
If a relatively simple machine can produce behavior that looks intentional without possessing a decision-making system, could human behavior also appear to result from centralized decisions even if no such central process exists?
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
Immediate reasons for Pizarro’s success included military technology based on guns, steel weapons, and horses; infectious diseases endemic in Eurasia; European maritime technology; the centralized political organization of European states; and writing.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
“You’re having a conversation about the future of young workers, and you’re not centralizing them in the conversation,” Lundrigan said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
"Rather than centralizing superintelligence, we should distribute it widely and give every person the ability to direct it," Zuckerberg said in his essay.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Iranian state media acknowledged his death late Saturday; Khamenei had led the Islamic Republic since 1989, centralizing religious and political power and steering Iran into prolonged confrontation with both Israel and the United States.
From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2026
Maceri said by centralizing services the new campus will help more people get off the streets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026
But in all branches of industry—and death is an industry, my young friend, make no mistake about that—one makes one’s money from operating in bulk, from buying in quantity, from centralizing one’s operations.
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
