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

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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

In its report, Food & Water Watch urged state and local governments to ban privatization of water utilities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

Thousands of farmers, miners, teachers, workers from other sectors and Indigenous communities have led weeks-long protests calling for wage increases, economic stability and an end to the privatization of state-owned companies.

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

They included cuts to unemployment benefits and housing subsidies and the privatization of public services, as well as tax cuts and a reform of the pension system to make it more affordable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

Mr. Salam lists the institute’s influence on the Giuliani years: privatization, social-services reform, anticrime efforts including “broken windows” policing, school choice—all had “the Manhattan Institute’s ideological imprint.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

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

"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

This week Anatoly Chubais, a veteran oligarch who oversaw Russia’s 1990s privatizations, posted a photo of Boris Nemtsov, a leading Russian opposition figure who was shot dead near the Kremlin in 2015.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 2, 2022

Those who meet the criteria will be required to declare all their assets and are barred from taking part in privatizations or financing political parties.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 22, 2021

It is committed to opening the economy to trade and investment, and has embarked on a wave of privatizations extending to telecom, electricity distribution, banking, and pension funds.

From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

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