privatize
verb (used with object)
to transfer from public or government control or ownership to private enterprise.
were privatizing
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past progressiveof privatize.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
During these times the powerful and the wealthy were privatizing fields, ponds and forests previously held as commons, evicting villagers from the natural resources that had sustained them for centuries.
From Scientific American ● May 31, 2023
