unionize

[ yoon-yuh-nahyz ]

/ ˈyun yəˌnaɪz /

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See synonyms for: unionized on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), un·ion·ized, un·ion·iz·ing.

to organize into a labor union; bring into or incorporate in a labor union.

to subject to the rules of a labor union.

Obsolete. to form into a union.

verb (used without object), un·ion·ized, un·ion·iz·ing.

to join in a labor union.

Obsolete. to form a union.

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Also especially British, un·ion·ise .

Origin of unionize

First recorded in 1835–45; union + -ize

OTHER WORDS FROM unionize

un·ion·i·za·tion

[yoon-yuh-nahy-zey-shuhn], /ˌyun yə naɪˈzeɪ ʃən/, nounun·ion·iz·er, nouno·ver·un·ion·ize, verb, o·ver·un·ion·ized, o·ver·un·ion·iz·ing.

Words nearby unionize

Union flag, unionism, unionist, Unionist Party, unionization, unionize, union jack, union label, union language, union list, union-made

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use unionize in a sentence

In many states, particularly those where care workers haven’t been able to unionize and bargain for protections and better pay, there’s an ongoing labor shortage that only gets worse every year.
Caring for the elderly has never been more expensive, exhausting, or invisible|Anne Helen Petersen|August 26, 2021|Vox
They agreed in principle to teacher input, but they kept collective bargaining and the right to unionize out of legislation.
Organized teachers dreamed up charter schools — but their vision got hijacked|Jon Hale|August 25, 2021|Washington Post
They ultimately lost a vote that would have allowed the warehouse employees to unionize.
Who Are You Calling a Communist?|Charu Kasturi|August 24, 2021|Ozy
Ford too has invested in a separate battery company, which may or may not be unionized one day.
The Auto Industry Is Going Green. Will Workers Go Along for the Ride?|Justin Worland|August 12, 2021|Time

Sarah Jaffe writes that a failed vote to unionize Amazon workers at a facility in Alabama may be discouraging, but around the US, workers in the increasingly expansive tech sector are waking up to their power to organize, and to demand dignity.
The power of us|Michael Reilly|June 30, 2021|MIT Technology Review
To date, the public at large does not support the efforts to unionize.
It’s Time to Rip the Money Out of the NCAA|Robert Silverman|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Efforts to unionize are rare but not unheard of in the fast food industry.
Fast-Food Workers Walk out of Jobs to Protest Low Wages|Filipa Ioannou|July 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the summer of 2005, the activists tried to unionize their Los Angeles office.
The Liberal Sweatshop|Luke Rosiak|July 15, 2009|DAILY BEAST
A Dutch general got up and said, “The first thing you need to do is unionize your army.”
Prediction: Taliban Will Cave|Phillip Knightley|April 15, 2009|DAILY BEAST
In 1901 the United Hatters' Union practically ordered him to discharge his non-union men and unionize his factory.
McClure's Magazine, Vol. XXXI, No. 6, October, 1908|Various
As soon as the troops go out, we fellows who have been working to unionize this region are going to catch it.
The Survey, Volume XXX, Number 1, April 5, 1913|Various
They are engaged in a fight to unionize it and are as anxious to succeed as are the operators to prevent them from doing so.
The Survey, Volume XXX, Number 1, April 5, 1913|Various
They are not on strike: they've been locked out by Frick, because he wants to non-unionize the works.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman

British Dictionary definitions for unionize

unionize

unionise

/ (ˈjuːnjəˌnaɪz) /

verb

to organize (workers) into a trade union

to join or cause to join a trade union

(tr) to subject to the rules or codes of a trade union

to join or become joined in marriage or civil partnership

Derived forms of unionize

unionization or unionisation, noun

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