nationalize
verb
na·tion·al·ize
ˈna-sh(ə-)nə-ˌlīz 
nationalized; nationalizing
1
: to give a national character to
2
: to invest control or ownership of in the national government
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
The wiring that Amtrak and New Jersey Transit rely on is a bespoke system that was built by the Pennsylvania Railroad nearly a century ago, then run by its successor Penn Central, then handed over to the public after the railroad went broke and was nationalized.
—
Nolan Hicks, Curbed, 9 July 2024
Such vital infrastructure needs to be nationalized rather than used as a PR football for attention-hungry CEOs.
—Katherine Alejandra Cross, WIRED, 20 Oct. 2022
At the end of October, the United Kingdom and France, NATO’s two European pillars, attacked Egypt to regain control of the Suez Canal, which Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser had nationalized a few months earlier.
—James Hershberg, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2022
Social media can nationalize a local news story within minutes.
—Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nationalize 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Nolan Hicks, Curbed, 9 July 2024
Such vital infrastructure needs to be nationalized rather than used as a PR football for attention-hungry CEOs.
—Katherine Alejandra Cross, WIRED, 20 Oct. 2022
At the end of October, the United Kingdom and France, NATO’s two European pillars, attacked Egypt to regain control of the Suez Canal, which Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser had nationalized a few months earlier.
—James Hershberg, Foreign Affairs, 24 Feb. 2022
Social media can nationalize a local news story within minutes.
—Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nationalize
Dictionary Entries Near nationalize
Cite this Entry
“Nationalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalize. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nationalize
verb
na·tion·al·ize
ˈnash-nəl-ˌīz
-ən-ᵊl-
nationalized; nationalizing
1
: to make national
2
: to remove from private ownership and place under government control
nationalize railroads
Legal Definition
nationalize
transitive verb
na·tion·al·ize
ˈna-shə-nə-ˌlīz
nationalized; nationalizing
: to invest control or ownership of in the national government
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share