centralize
gb/sˈɛntɹəlˌaɪz/ us/sˈɛntɹəlˌaɪz/
C1
English
központosít
VERB
C1
BUSINESS
1
központosít
B2
Usage pattern:
centralize [something] (under/in/within [authority/department])
After the merger, the company centralized decision-making at headquarters.
Az egyesülés után a vállalat a döntéshozatalt a központba vonta.
The new policy centralized control of hiring under the HR department.
Az új szabályzat a felvétel feletti irányítást a HR-osztály kezébe vonta.
Critics argued that the reforms would centralize too much power in the capital.
Learner examples
The government centralized control of schools.
A kormány központosította az iskolák irányítását.
Our company centralized decisions at the main office.
A cégünk a döntéshozatalt a központi irodába vonta.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse centralize (make control more concentrated) with concentrate (bring together physically or mentally). Also, centralize is usually not followed by 'to' (say 'centralize in/under', not 'centralize to').
Meaning
bring under central control
Collocations
centralize power
|centralize authority
|centralize control
|centralize decision-making
|centralize management
|centralize governance
|centralize oversight
|centralize budgeting
|centralize procurement
|centralize administration
Synonyms
consolidate (Often emphasizes combining separate units into one, not just shifting authority upward.)
|
concentrate (More general; can refer to bringing things together, not specifically organizational control.)
Antonyms
decentralize (Moves power or decisions away from the center to local units.)
|
delegate (Gives decision-making power to others rather than keeping it at the center.)
Themes
business
|government
|management
|organizations
Definition
to put control in one main place
To bring the control, decision-making, or management of something under one central authority rather than leaving it spread across different people or places.
VERB
C1
BUSINESS
2
központosít
B2
Usage pattern:
centralize [activities/resources/services] in/at [place]
They centralized customer support in one call center to reduce costs.
A költségek csökkentése érdekében egyetlen call centerbe vonták össze az ügyfélszolgálatot.
The museum centralized its archives at a new facility outside the city.
A múzeum a városon kívüli új létesítménybe vonta össze az archívumát.
The airline centralized maintenance operations at its largest hub.
Learner examples
We centralized our files in one office.
Az iratainkat egy irodába vontuk össze.
They centralized services in the city center.
A szolgáltatásokat a városközpontba vonták össze.
Common mistake:
Centralize usually implies making one main center; for simply moving something you might use move/relocate. Avoid using it for small everyday items unless there is a clear 'main place' idea.
Meaning
bring activities into one place
Collocations
centralize operations
|centralize production
|centralize services
|centralize distribution
|centralize storage
|centralize support
|centralize purchasing
|centralize resources
|centralize records
|centralize reporting
Synonyms
bring together (More general and less formal; does not necessarily imply a single 'center'.)
|
consolidate (Often stresses efficiency by combining sites or functions.)
Antonyms
disperse (Spreads people or things out across different places.)
|
distribute (Allocates resources across locations rather than gathering them into one.)
Themes
business
|logistics
|work
Definition
to put things in one main place
To move or arrange activities, services, staff, or resources so they are based in one main place or center rather than spread across multiple locations.
VERB
C1
TECHNICAL
3
központosít
B2
Usage pattern:
centralize [data/logs/information] in/into [system/place]
The team centralized logs so incidents could be investigated faster.
A csapat központosította a naplókat, hogy gyorsabban lehessen kivizsgálni az incidenseket.
We centralized user accounts in a single directory service.
A felhasználói fiókokat egyetlen címtárszolgáltatásban központosítottuk.
The company centralized sales data to create consistent reports across regions.
Learner examples
They centralized the data in one database.
Az adatokat egy adatbázisban központosították.
Common mistake:
In tech contexts, centralize is about a single source/system; it does not automatically mean 'share' or 'synchronize' (though those may be related goals).
Meaning
put information in one system
Collocations
centralize data
|centralize user accounts
|centralize authentication
|centralize logging
|centralize monitoring
|centralize backups
|centralize configuration
|centralize access control
|centralize reporting
|centralize documentation
Synonyms
consolidate (Common in IT for combining multiple systems or datasets into one.)
|
standardize (Focuses on making systems uniform; may or may not involve one central system.)
Antonyms
decentralize (Uses multiple distributed systems rather than a single central one.)
|
distribute (Places data or processing across multiple nodes/locations.)
Themes
technology
|business
|data
Definition
to keep data in one main system
To store, manage, or route information through a single main system or repository instead of keeping it in many separate systems.
Grammar
Dictionary form
centralize
IPA
GB/sˈɛntɹəlˌaɪz/
US/sˈɛntɹəlˌaɪz/
Syllables & stress
cent - ral - ize (3 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (cent)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: centralize
- 3rd Person Singular: centralizes
- Present Participle: centralizing
- Past: centralized
Word family
Forms
centralizes
verb
centralizing
verb
centralized
verb
Core family
Negative and opposite forms
Advanced or less common
centrality
noun
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.