What does communizing mean?
Communizing is the present participle of the rare verb communize, meaning to make something common, especially by establishing shared ownership or common use. In practice, the word usually describes a deliberate social or political change: resources, land, the means of production, or other property are treated as belonging to a community rather than to a private individual. A cooperative might communize equipment by establishing a shared pool, while a government might communize a service by placing it under public ownership. The term is uncommon in everyday English and tends to sound formal, programmatic, or specifically socialist because it recalls the language of common ownership and the means of production. It should not be confused with communing, which refers to sharing ideas, spiritual communion, or close association. Although rare, communizing is a precise term when the central point is not merely cooperation but changing the ownership or status of something so that it becomes genuinely shared.
verb (present participle)To make something common, especially by placing it under shared ownership or making it available for common use.
- To make something common through shared ownership or common use.
"The cooperative communized its equipment, allowing every member to use it as needed."
"The cooperative communized its equipment, allowing every member to use it as needed."
"The planners proposed communizing the means of production through collective ownership."
“Communizing” is the rare verb behind the idea of turning shared resources into common property.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does communizing come from?
The word combines the root commun-, associated with Latin communis, meaning “common” or “shared,” with the verbal suffix -ize. Latin communis also underlies cognates and related English words including common, commune, communal, community, and communicate. The English verb communize applies the older sense of sharing or holding in common to a deliberate social or political process.
Related word forms
How communizing is actually used
This is a rare, formal, and somewhat programmatic verb. It is especially associated with socialist, cooperative, and communalist political vocabulary, although its basic sense is not limited to any one ideology.
Easily confused with communizing
Communizing means making something common or shared, whereas communing means exchanging ideas, sharing spiritual fellowship, or associating closely with others.