privatization

American  

[prahy-vuh-tuh-zay-shuhn] / ˈpraɪ və təˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

privatizations plural

1. the process or practice of selling something owned by the government, typically a public service such as a railway or energy network, to a private company.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• privatizations
  plural

Explanation

When something is owned by the government — like a healthcare system, for example — and its ownership becomes privately held, it's called privatization. If your governor had a plan to replace all the public schools in the state with private schools, you could describe it as privatization. People tend to have strong opinions about privatization, believing either that free enterprise and private companies increase efficiency, or that certain services are harmed by privatization, particularly education, healthcare, and law enforcement. At the heart of privatization is the word private, rooted in the Latin privatus, "belonging to the self rather than the state."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

privatization privatizations

Schoolteachers, transportation workers, Indigenous people and other Bolivians have taken to the streets, calling for wage increases, economic stability and an end to the privatization of state-owned companies.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

Perhaps nothing highlights the promise and peril of privatization more than education, where Sweden’s embrace of the market goes even further than the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

The McCoys settled in Imperial Beach in the early 1970s — Mike was a veterinarian, Patricia a teacher — when the coastal protection movement was spreading across the state amid fears of overdevelopment and privatization.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026

That would avoid the market disruption of full privatization, they said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025

This possible growth depends on a number of factors we cannot control, including crime rates and sentencing patterns in various jurisdictions and acceptance of privatization.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander

Niklas Zennström, the billionaire founder of internet-telecommunications pioneer Skype, said the privatizations helped fuel innovation in sectors like telecoms, which have underpinned the country’s tech boom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

He told reporters he had campaigned for looking into privatizations, concessions and “the participation of private capital in public services as a way of bringing investment.”

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 28, 2023

"Of bonds that arise from the debt restructuring, some could be eligible for a swap of debt for investment in a program of privatizations that includes the oil sector," said Levy.

From Reuters ● Jul. 18, 2023

Chubais had overseen the 1990s-era privatizations of state-owned enterprises, which were the source of Khodorkovsky’s, Fridman’s and Aven’s fabulous wealth.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 3, 2022

Peru:   The Peruvian economy has become increasingly market-oriented,   with major privatizations completed since 1990 in the mining,   electricity, and telecommunications industries.

From The 2001 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency