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

For years, policymakers celebrated cheap consumer goods as proof that globalization was working.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

Its premise was simple: Markets could be optimized through globalization and cooperation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

Strazik thinks globalization contributed to America’s declining rate of electricity production.

From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026

For roughly 35 years after the Cold War, globalization favored efficiency.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

The dynamic forces behind this era of globalization were breakthroughs in hardware—from steamships and railroads in the beginning to telephones and mainframe computers toward the end.

From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman