privatization

American  

[prahy-vuh-tuh-zay-shuhn] / ˈpraɪ və təˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the process or practice of selling something owned by the government, typically a public service such as a railway or energy network, to a private company.

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Explanation

When something is owned by the government — like a healthcare system, for example — and its ownership becomes privately held, it's called privatization. If your governor had a plan to replace all the public schools in the state with private schools, you could describe it as privatization. People tend to have strong opinions about privatization, believing either that free enterprise and private companies increase efficiency, or that certain services are harmed by privatization, particularly education, healthcare, and law enforcement. At the heart of privatization is the word private, rooted in the Latin privatus, "belonging to the self rather than the state."

Example Sentences

Schoolteachers, transportation workers, Indigenous people and other Bolivians have taken to the streets, calling for wage increases, economic stability and an end to the privatization of state-owned companies.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

They included cuts to unemployment benefits and housing subsidies and the privatization of public services, as well as tax cuts and a reform of the pension system to make it more affordable.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

The McCoys settled in Imperial Beach in the early 1970s — Mike was a veterinarian, Patricia a teacher — when the coastal protection movement was spreading across the state amid fears of overdevelopment and privatization.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

That would avoid the market disruption of full privatization, they said.

From Barron's • Oct. 14, 2025

This possible growth depends on a number of factors we cannot control, including crime rates and sentencing patterns in various jurisdictions and acceptance of privatization.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander