denationalize

American  

[dee-nash-uh-nl-ahyz] / diˈnæʃ ə nlˌaɪz /

especially British, denationalise

verb (used with object)

denationalized, denationalizing

1. to remove (an industry or the like) from government ownership or control.

2. to deprive of national status, attachments, or characteristics.

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denationalize British  

/ diːˈnæʃənəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to return or transfer (an industry, etc) from public to private ownership

2. to deprive (an individual, people, institution, etc) of national character or nationality

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Other Word Forms

• denationalization noun

Etymology

Origin of denationalize

First recorded in 1800–10; de- + nationalize

Example Sentences

Even al-Qaeda commander Anwar al-Awlaki was still a U.S. citizen when he was killed by a U.S. drone in 2011, despite attempts by members of Congress to denationalize him.

From Slate • Feb. 20, 2019

The second innovation is to denationalize the armed force projecting the corporation’s power.

From Salon • Jun. 3, 2017

The Prime Minister got a rousing cheer when he told the rebels of the government's plans "to denationalize road haulage at the earliest possible moment."

From Time Magazine Archive

Thatcher promised to denationalize such major government-owned companies as British Airways, Rolls-Royce and British Telecom.

From Time Magazine Archive

It was a subtle and sustained attempt "to debauch the intellect of Ireland," as Mr. Locker-Lampson puts it, to denationalize her, and to make her own hands the instrument of her humiliation.

From The Framework of Home Rule by Childers, Erskine