public ownership

British

noun

ownership by the state; nationalization

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Once in public ownership, these shops would be leased to small businesses at rates deemed affordable by the council, the party says.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

"In the short term, it needs to come into public ownership so that the business can make its own decisions about its future. And that future may well involve new investors or new owners."

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

Meanwhile Scotrail has been brought into public ownership, as promised, and peak rail fares have been abolished.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

But ministers do not see public ownership as a long-term solution and have repeatedly said they are confident they will find another commercial partner to take on the ownership of British Steel.

From BBC • Aug. 7, 2025

“Say, boy, what do you think of public ownership? Do you think the government ought to build houses for people to live in?”

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023