privatize — pri‧vat‧ize [ˈpraɪvətaɪz] also privatise verb [transitive] ECONOMICS if the government privatizes a company or activity that it owns or operates, it sells the company etc to a business or to members of the public, who become its new shareholder S … Financial and business terms
privatize — pri·va·tize / prī və ˌtīz/ vt tized, tiz·ing: to make private; esp: to change (as a business or industry) from public to private control or ownership pri·va·ti·za·tion /ˌprī və tə zā shən, ˌtī / n Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam… … Law dictionary
privatize — 1968, from PRIVATE (Cf. private) (adj.) + IZE (Cf. ize). Related: Privatized; privatizing … Etymology dictionary
privatize — (Amer.) praɪvÉ™taɪz v. make private, transfer control from governmental to private powers; change a business or industry from public to private control or private ownership (also privatise) … English contemporary dictionary
privatize — (also privatise) ► VERB ▪ transfer (a business or industry) from public to private ownership. DERIVATIVES privatization noun … English terms dictionary
privatize — [prī′və tīz΄] vt. privatized, privatizing to make or hold private; specif., to turn over (a public property, service, etc.) to private interests privatization n … English World dictionary
privatize — UK [ˈpraɪvətaɪz] / US [ˈpraɪvəˌtaɪz] verb [transitive] Word forms privatize : present tense I/you/we/they privatize he/she/it privatizes present participle privatizing past tense privatized past participle privatized economics to sell a business… … English dictionary
privatize — verb Privatize is used with these nouns as the object: ↑enterprise, health service, ↑industry, ↑railway, ↑social security … Collocations dictionary
privatize — pri|va|tize [ praıvə,taız ] verb transitive to sell a business or industry that was owned and managed by the government so that it becomes a private business: There are plans to privatize the postal service … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
privatize — transitive verb Date: 1948 to make private; especially to change (as a business or industry) from public to private control or ownership • privatization noun … New Collegiate Dictionary