urbanize

verb

ur·​ban·​ize ˈər-bə-ˌnīz How to pronounce urbanize (audio)
urbanized; urbanizing

transitive verb

1
: to cause to take on urban characteristics
urbanized areas
2
: to impart an urban way of life to
urbanize migrants from rural areas

Examples of urbanize in a Sentence

every September the city of Boston urbanizes a new crop of college students from small towns across the country
Recent Examples on the Web At the heart of this next revolution is Beijing's plan to urbanize 400 million people by 2030. Elizabeth Economy, Foreign Affairs, 1 Nov. 2010 When Margarita Lugo de Castillo first started selling food from an outdoor stall here in 1945, this area had just begun to urbanize. Jorge Valencia Mariano Fernandez, New York Times, 14 Nov. 2023 But more Chinese people are frequently swapping soup and noodle dishes for salads and sandwiches as the country urbanizes and growing numbers find employment in the private sector. Lyric Li, Washington Post, 21 June 2023 South Korea, for example, has urbanized at blistering speed, with the percentage of people living in and around cities doubling between 1966 and 1986, from 33 to 67 percent. Monica Das Gupta, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2017 The urge to urbanize is hard-wired in us because cities are life. Michael Kimmelman, New York Times, 14 Feb. 2023 The ecological consequences of such a timing shift could thus be serious, especially as our world continues to urbanize at an increasing pace. Breanna Draxler, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2013 Until recently, a property boom helped fuel China's rapid growth, as Chinese developers powered the country's efforts to urbanize and build a modern economy. Grady McGregor, Fortune, 18 July 2022 Just like any other civilization that chose to urbanize, the Romans were up against a problem: What to do with all this waste? Lina Zeldovich, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Nov. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'urbanize.' 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

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of urbanize was in 1836

Dictionary Entries Near urbanize

Cite this Entry

“Urbanize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/urbanize. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

urbanize

verb
ur·​ban·​ize ˈər-bə-ˌnīz How to pronounce urbanize (audio)
urbanized; urbanizing
1
: to cause to have an urban appearance
urbanized areas
2
: to cause to take on an urban way of life
urbanized the peasant population
urbanization
ˌər-bə-nə-ˈzā-shən
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on urbanize

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