municipalise

The city council voted to municipalise the local water supply.

Definition

1. Verb (transitive):
   • To bring under municipal ownership or control: "municipalise" means to transfer private property, industry, or services to the ownership or management of a city or town government.

Usage Examples

• (The council decided that the city government would own and run the water service.)
• (These cities have taken control of buses and trains from private companies.)

Advanced Usage

• "to municipalise an industry": to convert a privately owned sector into a publicly owned one at the municipal level.
  • The government plans to municipalise the electricity grid in the capital. (The government intends to make the city responsible for electricity distribution.)

Variants and Related Words

• Municipalisation (noun): the process or act of bringing something under municipal ownership.

  • The municipalisation of the waste management system took three years. (The process of making the city responsible for trash collection.)

• Municipal (adjective): relating to a city or town or its governing body.

  • The municipal building houses the mayor's office. (The city government building.)

• Municipality (noun): a city or town that has its own local government.

  • Each municipality is responsible for its own schools. (Each city or town.)

Synonyms

• Nationalise: to bring under central government ownership (broader than municipal).
• Socialise: to transfer to collective or public ownership (more general term).

Related Idioms

• "Take into public hands": a phrase describing the act of municipalising or nationalising.
  • The citizens demanded that the private park be taken into public hands. (They wanted it to become a city-owned park.)