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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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decentralizesimple
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decentralizessimple
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have decentralizedperfect
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has decentralizedperfect
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am decentralizingprogressive
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are decentralizingprogressive
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is decentralizingprogressive
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have been decentralizingperfect progressive
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has been decentralizingperfect progressive
Past
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decentralizedsimple
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had decentralizedperfect
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was decentralizingprogressive
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were decentralizingprogressive
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had been decentralizingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing decentralize
Western Europe - Introductory
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Western Europe - Middle School and High School
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: de-
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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.
Andy Burnham proposes “business-friendly socialism” to decentralize power and address household bills, aiming to save Labour from defeat.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026
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
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
The only way to engage the people in the task is to decentralize the government.
From China, Japan and the U.S.A. Present-Day Conditions in the Far East and Their Bearing on the Washington Conference by Dewey, John
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.
