privatization

American  

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

noun

• privatizations
  plural

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.

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• privatizations
  plural

---

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

See Examples For:

privatization privatizations

A second phase of the privatization could begin in 2028 and would see the Portuguese state reduce its stake in TAP to become only the second-largest shareholder, the government said Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

In its report, Food & Water Watch urged state and local governments to ban privatization of water utilities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Some advocates of screening privatization cheered this development.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 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

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

Niklas Zennström, the billionaire founder of internet-telecommunications pioneer Skype, said the privatizations helped fuel innovation in sectors like telecoms, which have underpinned the country’s tech boom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

He told reporters he had campaigned for looking into privatizations, concessions and “the participation of private capital in public services as a way of bringing investment.”

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 28, 2023

"Of bonds that arise from the debt restructuring, some could be eligible for a swap of debt for investment in a program of privatizations that includes the oil sector," said Levy.

From Reuters ● Jul. 18, 2023

Newly minted oligarchs, who reaped the rewards of Soviet privatizations, came later and snapped up mansions in Beverly Hills.

From New York Times ● Mar. 4, 2022

Related laws - one that establishes SIRESE, the regulatory agency that will oversee the privatizations, and another that outlines the rules for privatization in the electricity sector - were approved later in the year.

From The 1995 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---