privatize

especially British, pri·va·tise

[prahy-vuh-tahyz]

verb (used with object)

privatized, privatizing 

1. to transfer from public or government control or ownership to private enterprise.

   a campaign promise to privatize some of the public lands.

2. to make exclusive; delimit or appropriate.

   special-interest groups attempting to privatize social issues.

privatize

/ ˈpraɪvɪˌtaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to transfer (the production of goods or services) from the public sector of an economy into private ownership and operation

Other Word Forms

• privatization noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of privatize¹

First recorded in 1945–50; private + -ize

Example Sentences

Eight years later, the GOP — the party that has spent decades trying to privatize Social Security and Medicare — is trying a different approach: Destroying the program by increments, one painful piece at a time.

Read more on Salon

But there are better solutions than to privatize our ATC system.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

But countries were forced to enact structural reforms like raising retirement ages, streamlining bureaucracy, privatizing industries and overhauling labor laws.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the 1990s, President Carlos Menem successfully lowered inflation and privatized many industries.

Read more on Barron's

For decades, enrollment in the privatized version of Medicare surged as insurers chased growth with $0-premium plans that bundled in dental, vision and other perks.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal