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. )

Example Sentences

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

From MarketWatch • Mar. 18, 2026

The strengths of globalization have become the weaknesses of those who participate in it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

When we think about globalization only as a tax-avoidance scheme and talk only about the back and forth flow of container ships, we miss the defining feature of the U.S. model.

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 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