nationalize

American  

[nash-uh-nl-ahyz, nash-nuh-lahyz] / ˈnæʃ ə nlˌaɪz, ˈnæʃ nəˌlaɪz /

especially British, nationalise

verb (used with object)

• nationalizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• nationalized,
  past participle,  past
• nationalizing
  present participle

1. to bring under the ownership or control of a nation, as industries and land.

   a movement to nationalize the oil industry.

2. to make into a nation.

3. to naturalize.

4. to make national in extent or scope.

   a magazine article that nationalized a local problem.

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verb (used without object)

• nationalizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• nationalized,
  past participle,  past
• nationalizing
  present participle

1. to become nationalized or naturalized.

   Those who remain in the country must nationalize.

nationalize British  

/ ˈnæʃnə-, ˈnæʃənəˌlaɪz /

verb

1. to put (an industry, resources, etc) under state control or ownership

2. to make national in scope, character, or status

3. a less common word for naturalize

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nationalization
  noun
• nationalizer
  noun
• nonnationalization
  noun
• overnationalization
  noun
• renationalization
  noun
• renationalize
  verb
• overnationalize
  verb (used with object)
• antinationalization
  adjective
• seminationalized
  adjective
• unnationalized
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• nationalizing
  present
• nationalized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• nationalize
  simple
• nationalizes
  simple
• have nationalized
  perfect
• has nationalized
  perfect
• am nationalizing
  progressive
• are nationalizing
  progressive
• is nationalizing
  progressive
• have been nationalizing
  perfect progressive
• has been nationalizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• nationalized
  simple
• had nationalized
  perfect
• was nationalizing
  progressive
• were nationalizing
  progressive
• had been nationalizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will nationalize
  simple
• will have nationalized
  perfect
• will be nationalizing
  progressive
• will have been nationalizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of nationalize

First recorded in 1790–1800; national + -ize

Explanation

To nationalize something is to make it public, or government-run, rather than private. Many countries, including the U.K. and Germany, have acted to nationalize railroads during periods when they faced bankruptcy. In the United States, a relatively recent decision to nationalize an industry occurred after the attacks on September 11, 2001. Before that, security at airports was run by private companies. Afterward, the Transportation Security Administration was founded as a federal agency, nationalizing the security in all airports throughout the country. The original definition of nationalize is "invest with a national character," the way you'd nationalize your house by hanging an American flag on the porch.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nationalize nationalizes nationalized nationalizing

Nationally, he might be able to nationalize Thames Water, a troubled utility serving southern England, but bigger targets are constrained by the budget deficit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

The deal would effectively nationalize an industry Belgium had spent years trying to phase out.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

To meet that need, Congress enacted the SSI program in 1972 to nationalize the state welfare programs for adults 65 and older and those with disabilities.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 10, 2026

“The volume, coordination, and repetition signal a deliberate strategy to nationalize a local race by weaponizing bigotry as a turnout engine,” the group’s report says.

From Slate ● Nov. 25, 2025

To this school succeeded the reaction of Malherbe and his fellows, who sought to drive from the French tongue all the exotic graces that their predecessors had tried to nationalize on Parnassus.

From Bohemians of the Latin Quarter by Henry Murger

June 1960 - Cuba nationalizes U.S.-owned oil refineries after they refuse to process Soviet oil.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 4, 2016

For participating firms, the industry pledge effectively nationalizes the California ban on companies using personal information about students for activities not authorized by schools.

From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2014

Egypt nationalizes the Suez Canal, and Israeli armies, under secret pact with Britain and France, invade the Sinai peninsula.

From Time Magazine Archive

The document promotes equality for Bolivia's put-upon indigenous majority and nationalizes several natural resources, among other changes.

From Time Magazine Archive

In this state land nationalizes may note the character of the movement towards small holdings.

From Down Under With the Prince by Sara Jeannette Duncan

Exxon and ConocoPhillips sued Venezuela after the country nationalized their assets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Mulder points to British Steel as the poster child: nationalized by Labour in 1951, privatized by Conservatives in 1953, renationalized by Labour in 1967 and reprivatized by Thatcher in 1987.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Zvërnec has proved to be a thicket of Albanian property disputes, a common problem given that the country nationalized property during communism then underwent a messy process of returning it to private ownership.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Exxon Mobil lived through it when Hugo Chávez nationalized its projects in 2007 and spent years in international arbitration recovering pennies on the dollar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

Then came the collapse of the government-sponsored entities, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, both promptly nationalized.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

So I want to be clear, he’s not talking about nationalizing election administration.

From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2026

Then, in 1976, Venezuela lowered the boom, nationalizing its oil industry.

From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 2026

A prospective soldier needed to bring his own weapon to join the military, a clever means of nationalizing Somaliland’s supply of loose guns while saving the government the cost and hassle of purchasing firearms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 4, 2026

The roots of his presidential campaign date to 1987, when amid a spiraling economic crisis, the Peruvian government proposed nationalizing banks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2025

In addition to suffrage, Victoria Woodhull's political platform called for labor reform, nationalizing railroads, prison reform, and rewriting the tax code.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling