Meaning & use
decentralize
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Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitive
To move power, control, or responsibilities from one central place to smaller local ones.
Grammar: Can take an object (decentralize the system) or be used without one (the company decentralized).
Patterns
- decentralize something
- decentralize power
- decentralize to something
The government plans to decentralize health services and give more power to local councils.
After the merger, the company decentralized its decision-making to regional offices.
Many schools have decentralized their budgets so principals can spend money as they see fit.
Word forms
| third person singular | decentralizes |
|---|---|
| past tense | decentralized |
| past participle | decentralized |
| -ing form | decentralizing |
Common combinations
- decentralize power
- The reform aims to decentralize power and reduce corruption.
- decentralize decision-making
- They decentralized decision-making to respond faster to customers.
- decentralize authority
- The new law will decentralize authority over education.
- decentralize the economy
- The country tried to decentralize the economy after decades of central planning.
Synonyms and how they differ
- distribute
- Focuses on spreading things out, often resources; decentralize specifically means moving power or control away from a center.
- devolve
- Often used in politics for transferring power to local governments; decentralize is broader and can be used for companies too.
Opposites
Word family
- decentralization noun
- The process of moving power away from a central authority.
- decentralized adjective
- Describing a system where power is spread out.
Commonly confused: decentralize or decenter?
decentralize vs decenter
Decenter means to shift focus or position, often in theory; decentralize is about power and control.
Practice
The mayor wants to ______ control over housing to local neighborhoods.
Choose one answer.
Decentralize fits because it means to move control away from a central authority to local units. Decenter is about focus, not power; centralize and concentrate are the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “decentralize”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.