globalization

American  

[gloh-buh-luh-zey-shuhn] / ˌgloʊ bə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /

especially British, globalisation

noun

1. the act of globalizing, or extending to other or all parts of the world.

   the globalization of manufacturing.

2. worldwide integration and development.

   Globablization has resulted in the loss of some individual cultural identities.

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globalization British  

/ ˌɡləʊbəlaɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

1. the process enabling financial and investment markets to operate internationally, largely as a result of deregulation and improved communications

2. the emergence since the 1980s of a single world market dominated by multinational companies, leading to a diminishing capacity for national governments to control their economies

3. the process by which a company, etc, expands to operate internationally

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Etymology

Origin of globalization

First recorded in 1925–30; global ( def. ) + -ization ( def. )

Explanation

Globalization is the process of ideas, products, and people moving around the planet with greater ease and efficiency. Globalization takes advantage of cheaper labor in less developed nations but increases free trade between nations and the free flow of capital. Globalization has transcended its traditionally economic concept to be used in many different ways now. The globalization of Barbie began with the opening of a Barbie boutique in Beijing. Use globalization anytime a trend spreads beyond its expected boundaries, reaches beyond expected populations. "At your high school, girls started a trend of wearing hard hats to school every day. Your cousin in Austria mentions girls doing it there. You can joke that the trend has 'gone global.'"

Example Sentences

BERLIN—Germany’s famously open economy was its greatest economic asset, delivering almost 20 years of uninterrupted growth and turning it into one of the biggest winners of globalization.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026

While the global economy has faced shocks and trade turmoil, globalization is not dead -- it is simply being "transformed," the International Monetary Fund's chief economist told AFP Friday in an exclusive interview.

From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026

“During the previous decade, we experienced extraordinarily low inflation, near zero interest rates, relatively stable globalization, and abundant capital. So those conditions may have conditioned us to think that environment was normal,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2026

“It’s more fractured now. You can’t count on globalization keeping prices low.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026

Today, due to globalization and deindustrialization, that is no longer the case.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander