Definition of "institutionalize" []

• To make into, treat as, or give the character of an institution to. (verb-transitive)
• To make part of a structured and usually well-established system: a society that has institutionalized injustice. (verb-transitive)
• To place (a person) in the care of an institution. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• ""But if you concentrate on blocks or certain neighborhoods, then you kind of institutionalize the block, and that's not the goal for people with disabilities, and it's not the goal for our neighborhoods, either.""
• "To enhance the U.S. ability to "infiltrate and combat enemy forces," the panel calls on Gates to "institutionalize" programs that develop "indigenous capacity to infiltrate and disrupt local terrorist networks," including "mapping complex and social landscapes, understanding relationships among key actors in insurgencies, [and] identifying the key goals of marginalized groups that could lead them to be recruited by terrorists.""
• "We have to find a way to "institutionalize" the Tonies of the world so all children are educated to their fullest potential, not just the few who were lucky enough to be born with parents who have the resources to negotiate school systems and provide all sorts of outside support."