Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To make democratic.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To render democratic; make popular or common; bring to a common level. Also spelled democratise.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To render democratic.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To make democratic.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb introduce democratic reforms; of nations
  • verb become (more) democratic; of nations

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

French démocratiser.

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Examples

  • Perhaps the next time we hear that siren song we'll stop to realize that we don't need to "democratize" - another country.

    Siren Song 2008

  • And for good reason there is even less hope among the civil societies that have sprouted in country after country, even in the seemingly least fertile of soils, that China will help Africa democratize, which is a key to the continent's future.

    Howard W. French: Obama and Africa: The Change We Have Been Waiting For? 2008

  • In Paris, the "GI Liberation Committee" even proposed a program to "democratize" the Army by abolishing officers 'privileges and reforming the military system of justice to include enlisted men on court-martial boards. 16

    Miss Yourlovin: GIs, Gender, and Domesticity during World War II 2008

  • When free market enthusiasts attempt to sell an idea with the promise that it will "democratize" something – bringing broader access to a previously exclusive good, service, or market – two things are about to happen.

    'DIY U' and the future of public education 2010

  • Kundra, in conference call today with reporters shortly after President Barack Obama named him as federal CIO said one of his first projects is to create a data. gov Web site to "democratize" the federal government's vast information treasures by making them accessible in open formats and in feeds that can be used by application developers.

    A Request to CIO Kundra: Get Bureaucrats Involved in data.gov 2009

  • Kundra, in conference call today with reporters shortly after President Barack Obama named him as federal CIO said one of his first projects is to create a data. gov Web site to "democratize" the federal government's vast information treasures by making them accessible in open formats and in feeds that can be used by application developers.

    NASA CIO Kemp getting flack for pushing open data "fad" 2009

  • Remember how the neocons and Bush decided to "democratize" the Middle East by force, making it a bastion of Western democracy, without any regards for the differences between the peoples, cultures, and religions?

    Muhammad Sahimi: Let us Pray for Obama 2009

  • Instead it is spending enormous amounts of money trying to "democratize" the Middleast and feeding a military industrial complex that is consuming us.

    Walk in My Shoes: Why teens fight 2009

  • The occupation is about maintaining US control of Iraq as part of the neocon strategy to "democratize" the Middle East.

    Obama: Don't Be Confused, I'm Serious About Ending War 2009

  • But what of the emails, text messages and other private communications between government officials which aren't published online -- will Twitter and Facebook help "democratize" that information as well?

    Is Social Media Helping or Hurting California Politics? 2009

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