privatisation UK /ˌpɹaɪvɪtaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/US /ˌpɹaɪvətaɪˈzeɪʃən/ noun2 •The transfer of a company or organization from government to private ownership and control. •The rendering of a thought or an idea, as private in scope.Questioning the privilege of biology went hand in hand with a challenge to the privatization of the family and the notion that parents own children and may therefore treat them however they choose. — 1988 formsprivatisations