decentralize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
decentralizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
decentralized,
past participle, past
-
decentralizing
present participle
-
to distribute the administrative powers or functions of (a central authority) over a less concentrated area.
to decentralize the national government.
-
to disperse (something) from an area of concentration.
to decentralize the nation's industry.
verb (used without object)
-
decentralizes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
decentralized,
past participle, past
-
decentralizing
present participle
verb
-
to reorganize (a government, industry, etc) into smaller more autonomous units
-
to disperse (a concentration, as of industry or population)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
decentralizesimple
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decentralizessimple
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have decentralizedperfect
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has decentralizedperfect
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am decentralizingprogressive
-
are decentralizingprogressive
-
is decentralizingprogressive
-
have been decentralizingperfect progressive
-
has been decentralizingperfect progressive
Past
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decentralizedsimple
-
had decentralizedperfect
-
was decentralizingprogressive
-
were decentralizingprogressive
-
had been decentralizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of decentralize
First recorded in 1850–55; de- + centralize
Explanation
To decentralize is to move control from one big organization to several smaller ones. A bookstore chain might decentralize by shifting from one main buyer purchasing books for all the stores to individual store buyers making those purchases. In government, the term decentralize is used when authority moves away from federal control to the state — or from the state to a local level. Your state, for example, might decentralize laws about stores using plastic bags by allowing each city or town to make its own rules. In business, a company decentralizes when it gives more control to individual locations (like the freedom to hire workers and make rules), rather than making these decisions for them.
Vocabulary lists containing decentralize
Western Europe - Introductory
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Western Europe - Middle School and High School
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: de-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Andy Burnham proposes “business-friendly socialism” to decentralize power and address household bills, aiming to save Labour from defeat.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
But Valderrama Blanco says Gálvez Ruiz will decentralize science policy and give more authority over science funding to Mexico’s state governments, an approach discouraged by the current law.
From Science Magazine ● May 2, 2024
I'm a dyed-in-the-wool tech enthusiast who marvels openly at the creative persistence of programmers on a mission to further decentralize the internet.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2023
Jeff Holguin’s goal is to help decentralize mental health care in Ukraine and to train psychologists, psychiatrists, military leaders, religious officials and health workers to provide basic psychological support skills like treating trauma.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 25, 2023
Such action would further decentralize our credit structure.
From State of the Union Address by Herbert Hoover
The draft is expected to be the first sporting event to be held at The Sphere and a showcase opportunity for the league before the draft decentralizes starting in 2025.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 5, 2023
"Willow" decentralizes the typical white male hero in its power fantasy, making the most important person in the universe a baby girl and the second most a little person.
From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2022
“The quota system decentralizes and simplifies execution but incentivizes local authorities to prioritize output at any cost. This can create abuses.”
From Slate ● Oct. 23, 2022
Web2 centralizes a bunch of cool stuff that was happening with Web1, but you are saying Web3 decentralizes it again.
From The Verge ● Apr. 12, 2022
Now, this division of power, which decentralizes the government without creating mutually hostile forces, can hardly be introduced into any European state.
From The American Republic : constitution, tendencies and destiny by Orestes Augustus Brownson
EA took shape as a decentralized movement during the heady, techno-optimistic days of the late 2000s and early 2010s -- when many believed social media and smartphones would promote empathy and democracy.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Echoing the findings of an earlier evaluation also ordered by Carter, Nardello & Co. found “a reporting environment that relies on numerous databases, self-reported information, manual data transfers, and decentralized reporting practices.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The story is that in this period Scandinavia became distinct unified Christian kingdoms from a series of disparate and decentralized pagan tribes.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
The bets gained attention earlier this year when conflicts in the Middle East prompted a wave of trading in oil-linked perpetual futures on the decentralized crypto exchange Hyperliquid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
As with Pythagoras, in Darwin’s model, every organism carried information to build organs and structures in miniaturized form—except in Darwin’s case, the information was decentralized.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
In 2010, Carretero and Jones Molina founded the production company called Experimento Lúdico in the western town of Mayagüez with the intent of decentralizing production on the island.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
The president reiterated his commitment to decentralizing the economy and granting greater autonomy to state-owned enterprises, which account for roughly 80 percent of economic activity.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
In “Humanocracy,” Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini describe how decentralizing individual responsibility helps businesses thrive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
One solution may be decentralizing them by creating a network of small facilities that are harder to hit than large plants.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 4, 2024
Its decentralizing policies, however, were of such a character that the racial question gave promise of being settled by the utter disintegration of the Empire, and after eight months it was dismissed.
From The Governments of Europe by Frederic Austin Ogg
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