industrialize

verb

in·​dus·​tri·​al·​ize in-ˈdə-strē-ə-ˌlīz 

industrialized; industrializing

transitive verb

: to make industrial

industrialize an agricultural region

intransitive verb

: to become industrial

Examples of industrialize in a Sentence

The government hopes to industrialize some of the agricultural regions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Stripped of its holy residents, the abbey took on a new life as the headquarters of a company that mined the local iron ore, which was destined for the infrastructure of a rapidly industrializing Europe. —CBS News, 1 May 2026

Rather than panic, organizations industrialized the defense. —Evan Johnson, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2026

In the new South, one scrabbling to industrialize, business owners could now hire unpaid labor through the penal system. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2026

Smog is also a growing concern in countries such as India that have rapidly industrialized. —Andrea Thompson, Scientific American, 22 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for industrialize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• criminalize
• decentralize

Kids Definition

industrialize

verb

in·​dus·​tri·​al·​ize in-ˈdəs-trē-ə-ˌlīz 

industrialized; industrializing

: to make or become industrial

industrialize an agricultural region

industrialization

-ˌdəs-trē-ə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun