- to put (an industry, resources, etc) under state control or ownership
- to make national in scope, character, or status
- a less common word for naturalize
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
na•tion•al•ize /ˈnæʃənəlˌaɪz, ˈnæʃnəˌlaɪz/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -ized, -iz•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Governmentto bring (an industry, or land) under the ownership or control of a government:That country has nationalized its airlines.
na•tion•al•ize
(nash′ə nl īz′, nash′nə līz′),USA pronunciation v., -ized, -iz•ing.
v.t.
v.i.
na′tion•al•i•za′tion, n.
na′tion•al•iz′er, n.
v.t.
- Governmentto bring under the ownership or control of a nation, as industries and land:a movement to nationalize the oil industry.
- Governmentto make into a nation.
- Governmentto naturalize.
- Governmentto make national in extent or scope:a magazine article that nationalized a local problem.
v.i.
- Governmentto become nationalized or naturalized:Those who remain in the country must nationalize.
- national + -ize 1790–1800
na′tion•al•iz′er, n.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
nationalize, nationalise /ˈnæʃənəˌlaɪz; ˈnæʃnə-/ vb (transitive)
'nationalize' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):