Synonyms

public ownership

British

noun

ownership by the state; nationalization

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The legislation needed to establish the new body is still due to go through parliament, but some services have already been transferred into public ownership as franchises held by private companies start to expire.

From BBC • Sep. 22, 2025

But ministers do not see public ownership as a long-term solution and have repeatedly said they are confident they will find another commercial partner to take on the ownership of British Steel.

From BBC • Aug. 7, 2025

Ministers have been allowed to take rail companies back into public ownership when their existing contracts expired.

From BBC • Jul. 20, 2025

The company, which runs trains across the East of England and into London, said it would be brought under public ownership on 12 October.

From BBC • May 9, 2025

“Say, boy, what do you think of public ownership? Do you think the government ought to build houses for people to live in?”

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023