Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

privatize

/ˈpɹaɪvətaɪz/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.55 in modern English

Syllables
pri-va-tize
IPA
/ˈpɹaɪvətaɪz/
23
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To release government control (of a business or industry) to private industry.

American usage

verb

To render (a variable, etc.) private in scope.

American usage; Transitive verb

verb

To render a thought or an idea, private in scope.

American usage; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree English private Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English privatize From private + -ize.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈpɹaɪvətaɪz/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Synonyms

Antonyms

Questions

How do you pronounce privatize?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈpɹaɪvətaɪz/.
What does privatize mean?
To release government control (of a business or industry) to private industry.
Where does privatize come from?
Etymology tree English private Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English privatize From private + -ize.

How to pronounce privatize

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “privatize”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈpɹaɪvətaɪz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “privatize”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “privatize” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.