privatize
gb/pɹˈɪvɪtˌaɪz/ us/pɹˈɪvɪtˌaɪz/
C1
Inglês
Acepções
0 acepção
Verbo
business
C1
action
1
transfer to private ownership
If a government privatizes something, it sells it or gives control of it to private companies or owners.
Padrão de uso:
[government/authority] privatizes [company/service/asset]
Erro comum:
Do not confuse privatize with publicize. Publicize means to make information widely known, not simply to make something public-owned.
Sinônimos
sell off (More informal; often suggests selling public assets, sometimes with criticism.)
|
denationalize (More technical; specifically means transfer from national government ownership.)
|
contract out (Means hire a private provider to do the work; ownership may not transfer.)
Antônimos
nationalize (Transfer private property or industry into state ownership.)
|
municipalize (Transfer to local government ownership or control.)
Colocações
privatize a company
|privatize an industry
|privatize a public service
|privatize utilities
|privatize rail services
|privatize healthcare
|privatize prisons
|partially privatized
|fully privatized
|newly privatized
Temas
business
|economics
|politics
|government
Exemplos
- The government plans to privatize the national airline next year.
- Critics argued that privatizing water services would raise prices for ordinary households.
- Several state-owned companies were partially privatized in the 1990s.
Exemplos para estudantes
- The country decided to privatize its railway system.
- Many voters opposed the plan to privatize hospitals.
Verbo
C1
action
2
make private or restricted
To privatize something can mean to make it private so fewer people can use it, see it, or enter it.
Padrão de uso:
[someone/something] privatizes [place/account/access/information]
Erro comum:
In everyday situations, make private is often more natural than privatize, especially for social media accounts or settings.
Sinônimos
make private (More common and general in everyday language.)
|
close off (Emphasizes preventing public access to a place or resource.)
|
restrict (Emphasizes limiting access rather than changing ownership.)
Antônimos
open (Make available for public or wider use.)
|
make public (Make accessible or visible to everyone.)
Colocações
privatize public space
|privatize access
|privatize a beach
|privatize a road
|privatize a courtyard
|privatize an account
|privatize a profile
|privatize information
Temas
privacy
|society
|technology
|property
Exemplos
- Residents complained that luxury developments were privatizing public space along the river.
- The app lets users privatize their profiles so only approved followers can see posts.
- The resort effectively privatized part of the beach by blocking the public paths.
Exemplos para estudantes
- You can privatize your profile in the settings.
- They tried to privatize the park, but local people protested.
Verbo
formal
C2
process
3
shift risks or costs privately
In formal discussion, privatize can mean to make individuals or private groups carry a risk or cost that used to be shared by society or handled by the government.
Padrão de uso:
[policy/system] privatizes [risk/cost/responsibility]
Erro comum:
This use is often critical and abstract; it does not always mean that a company or asset has been sold.
Sinônimos
individualize (Emphasizes moving responsibility onto individuals.)
|
offload (More informal and critical; suggests unfairly passing a burden to others.)
|
shift to the private sector (Clearer phrase when private companies or organizations take on the role.)
Antônimos
socialize (Spread costs, risks, or losses across society or taxpayers.)
|
collectivize (Make a responsibility or resource shared collectively; more formal or ideological.)
Colocações
privatize risk
|privatize costs
|privatize responsibility
|privatize care
|privatize welfare provision
|privatize retirement risk
|privatize losses
Temas
economics
|politics
|society
|public_policy
Exemplos
- Critics say the pension reform privatizes retirement risk by leaving workers more exposed to market losses.
- The new policy was accused of privatizing the costs of elder care and pushing them onto families.
- Some economists argue that the system privatizes gains while leaving the public to cover failures.
Exemplos para estudantes
- The reform privatized more of the risk for workers.
- Families said the policy privatized the cost of care.
Gramática
Forma no dicionário
privatize
AFI
GB/pɹˈɪvɪtˌaɪz/
US/pɹˈɪvɪtˌaɪz/
Sílabas e tonicidade
privat - ize (2 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (privat)
Formas da palavra
Verb
- Base: privatize
- 3rd Person Singular: privatizes
- Present Participle: privatizing
- Past: privatized
Expressões
privatize profits and socialize losses
1/pɹˈɪvɪtˌaɪz pɹˈɑfɪts ˈænd sˈoʊʃəlˌaɪz lˈɔsɪz/
fixed phrase
formal
keep gains, share losses
This phrase criticizes a system where companies keep the money they make but the public pays when things go wrong.
Exemplos
- After the bailout, critics said the banks had privatized profits and socialized losses.
- The subsidy scheme was attacked as a way to privatize profits and socialize losses.
- Opponents argue that the law allows large firms to privatize profits and socialize losses when projects fail.