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.

It will come back under public ownership on 13 December.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

But some have criticised the plans, arguing that public ownership will not make much difference unless it comes with more investment.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2026

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

From BBC • Jul. 20, 2025

Delays and design challenges continued under public ownership with the cost of the two ships now about £460m if written-off government loans and money paid out prior to nationalisation are included.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 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