decentralize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to distribute the administrative powers or functions of (a central authority) over a less concentrated area.
to decentralize the national government.
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to disperse (something) from an area of concentration.
to decentralize the nation's industry.
verb (used without object)
verb
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to reorganize (a government, industry, etc) into smaller more autonomous units
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to disperse (a concentration, as of industry or population)
Other Word Forms
- decentralist noun
- decentralization noun
Etymology
Origin of decentralize
First recorded in 1850–55; de- + centralize
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.
I believe that was the reason: an attempt to decentralize the media and kind of break it down.
From Salon • Feb. 2, 2025
Meanwhile, Zaragoza has promised to prioritize climate change and renewable energy, decentralize the island’s education department and improve access to health.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 2, 2024
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
It was established in 1999 as part of moves to decentralize power in the U.K. - the first time Scotland had had its own legislature since its political union with England almost three centuries earlier.
From Washington Times • Jun. 22, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
