Privatizing is the process of transferring ownership and control of a public entity to private ownership. The term has several synonyms, including divestment, outsourcing, commercialization, and denationalization. Divestment refers to selling off public assets or divesting control of them to private entities. Outsourcing, on the other hand, is the practice of hiring external firms or companies to perform certain functions or services. Commercialization involves converting public entities into commercial ventures, while denationalization means removing an entity from government or state control altogether. These synonyms are often used interchangeably to describe the process of moving public-owned entities into the private sector.