federalize

American  

[fed-er-uh-lahyz] / ˈfɛd ər əˌlaɪz /

especially British, federalise

verb (used with object)

federalized, federalizing

1. to bring under the control of a federal government.

   to federalize the National Guard.

2. to bring together in a federal union, as different states.

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federalize British  

/ ˈfɛdərəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to unite in a federation or federal union; federate

2. to subject to federal control

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Other Word Forms

• federalization noun
• refederalization noun
• refederalize verb

Etymology

Origin of federalize

First recorded in 1795–1805; federal + -ize

Example Sentences

Court of Appeals’ Ninth Circuit, challenges PHMSA’s attempt to federalize oversight of the onshore pipelines and its recent approval of Sable’s restart plan.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

Now that might not be an option, after the Supreme Court in December ruled against his effort to federalize the Guard in Illinois.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

Instead, he has purported to federalize the National Guard under a lesser-known statute, 10 USC Section 12406.

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2025

He instead evoked a very rarely used law that was last applied in 1965 by President Lyndon Johnson to protect civil rights workers from local police, allowing him to federalize those troops.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2025

More than that, to federalize the union was to substitute for a rigid bond a bond elastic enough to allow of expansion, eastward to the Atlantic and westward to the Pacific.

From George Brown by Lewis, John