privatisieren

to privatise

verb pri-vah-ti-ZEE-ren Rare

Origin: from Latin 'privatus' (private)

Usage Note

privatisieren means to transfer a state-owned enterprise or service to private ownership. Debates about whether to privatisieren public services (water, rail) are politically contentious in Germany.

Examples

"In den 1990ern wurden viele staatliche Betriebe privatisiert."

Natural Translation

In the 1990s many state enterprises were privatised.

Literal Translation

In the 1990s many state-operated businesses were privatised.

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