nationalize

verb

na·​tion·​al·​ize ˈna-sh(ə-)nə-ˌlīz How to pronounce nationalize (audio)
nationalized; nationalizing

transitive verb

1
: to give a national character to
2
: to invest control or ownership of in the national government
nationalization noun
nationalizer noun

Examples of nationalize in a Sentence

The government nationalized the health-care system in the mid-1950s. nationalizing the country's oil supply
Recent Examples on the Web Matt Stoller, the director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project, a progressive think tank, made that case in January in his newsletter, arguing that the government has a history of nationalizing utilities, railroads and aerospace firms. Allison Morrow, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 West has suggested the country nationalize the fossil fuel industry, declare a climate emergency, impose a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing for natural gas and pause lease sales for drilling on federal lands and water. Dipka Bhambhani, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 When François Mitterrand won the presidency in 1981, Mr. Delors was named finance minister in a government committed to nationalizing many banks and major industries, vastly increasing public spending and raising taxes on the wealthy. Paul Lewis, New York Times, 27 Dec. 2023 In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson nationalized U.S. railroads. Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2024 If the Civil War served to nationalize gun ownership, racial prejudice has always provided a vital ingredient: the sense that some people are beneath the mercies of the law. TIME, 31 Jan. 2024 There has been a fair amount of discussion about local elections becoming nationalized — that happened, to a degree, in the Montgomery Steppe-Reichert race. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2023 In 1956, after Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal and struck an arms deal with the Soviet Union, Israel, along with Britain and France, invaded Egypt and occupied the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. TIME, 10 Jan. 2024 And then a decade later, Alfonso and Jose Fanjul fled Fidel Castro’s Cuba when rebels nationalized their family’s home, their land, and took all that belonged to them, including 150,000 acres and 10 mills. Michael Adno, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nationalize.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nationalize was in 1799

Dictionary Entries Near nationalize

Cite this Entry

“Nationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalize. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

nationalize

verb
na·​tion·​al·​ize ˈnash-nəl-ˌīz How to pronounce nationalize (audio)
-ən-ᵊl-
nationalized; nationalizing
1
: to make national
2
: to remove from private ownership and place under government control
nationalize railroads
nationalization noun

Legal Definition

nationalize

transitive verb
na·​tion·​al·​ize ˈna-shə-nə-ˌlīz How to pronounce nationalize (audio)
nationalized; nationalizing
: to invest control or ownership of in the national government

More from Merriam-Webster on nationalize

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