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 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 Kolomoisky was the main owner of PrivatBank, the country’s largest savings bank, which was nationalized after he was accused of being responsible for the disappearance of billions of dollars of bank assets. Siobhán O'Grady, Washington Post, 8 Sep. 2023 In Boric’s proposal to nationalize the country’s lithium supply, the state will target getting a larger stake in mining projects with SQM and U.S.-based Albemarle—the other primary lithium company—to oversee the remainder of their contracts. Tristan Bove, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2023 Against all odds, the Israelis fight off the Arab armies in the War of Independence. October 1956 Egypt's President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal, which would result in Israeli, British and French military action. Maeghan Dolph, Fox News, 22 Nov. 2023

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 18 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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