decentralize

American  

[dee-sen-truh-lahyz] / diˈsɛn trəˌlaɪz /

especially British, decentralise

verb (used with object)

decentralized, decentralizing

1. to distribute the administrative powers or functions of (a central authority) over a less concentrated area.

   to decentralize the national government.

2. to disperse (something) from an area of concentration.

   to decentralize the nation's industry.

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verb (used without object)

decentralized, decentralizing

1. to undergo decentralization.

   The city government is looking for ways to decentralize.

decentralize British  

/ diːˈsɛntrəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to reorganize (a government, industry, etc) into smaller more autonomous units

2. to disperse (a concentration, as of industry or population)

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Other Word Forms

• decentralist noun
• decentralization noun

Etymology

Origin of decentralize

First recorded in 1850–55; de- + centralize

Explanation

To decentralize is to move control from one big organization to several smaller ones. A bookstore chain might decentralize by shifting from one main buyer purchasing books for all the stores to individual store buyers making those purchases. In government, the term decentralize is used when authority moves away from federal control to the state — or from the state to a local level. Your state, for example, might decentralize laws about stores using plastic bags by allowing each city or town to make its own rules. In business, a company decentralizes when it gives more control to individual locations (like the freedom to hire workers and make rules), rather than making these decisions for them.

Example Sentences

The USDA’s program began doling out grants to states and tribal governments in 2022, in an attempt to decentralize and diversify food supply chains after the strain of the pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2025

But Valderrama Blanco says Gálvez Ruiz will decentralize science policy and give more authority over science funding to Mexico’s state governments, an approach discouraged by the current law.

From Science Magazine • May 2, 2024

But Minkovitch hopes Ukraine’s Western partners will provide modern technology to decentralize power in time for winter.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 19, 2024

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool tech enthusiast who marvels openly at the creative persistence of programmers on a mission to further decentralize the internet.

From Salon • Jul. 12, 2023

This purpose was to decentralize credits by lessening the concentration of banking funds in a few large banks in the chief financial centers, and especially in New York.

From Readings in Money and Banking Selected and Adapted by Phillips, Chester Arthur

Related Words

• disperse
• distribute
• scatter