legalize
verb
le·gal·ize
ˈlē-gə-ˌlīz 
legalized; legalizing
: to make legal
especially
: to give legal validity or sanction to
Examples of legalize in a Sentence
They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.
The government has legalized the use of the new drug.
Recent Examples on the Web
To take an easy example, while federal law may prohibit the use, possession and sale of marijuana, California can and has created laws legalizing cannabis within our state, and, while complications come with that dichotomy, weed legalization here has occurred with relatively few problems.
—
The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 10 Jan. 2025
What began as loosening restrictions on the recreational use of marijuana snowballed into legalizing the possession and use of hard drugs such as heroin and fentanyl.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Jan. 2025
Other recent ballot initiatives have targeted greater public school funding — a 2022 proposal that was withdrawn after lawmakers increased education funding on their own — and to legalize medical marijuana.
—Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2025
Massachusetts is also one of 24 states, along with D.C., that have legalized recreational marijuana.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for legalize 
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The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 10 Jan. 2025
What began as loosening restrictions on the recreational use of marijuana snowballed into legalizing the possession and use of hard drugs such as heroin and fentanyl.
—Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Jan. 2025
Other recent ballot initiatives have targeted greater public school funding — a 2022 proposal that was withdrawn after lawmakers increased education funding on their own — and to legalize medical marijuana.
—Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 8 Jan. 2025
Massachusetts is also one of 24 states, along with D.C., that have legalized recreational marijuana.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for legalize
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Dictionary Entries Near legalize
Cite this Entry
“Legalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legalize. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
legalize
verb
le·gal·ize
ˈlē-gə-ˌlīz
legalized; legalizing
: to make legal
wanted to legalize gambling in their city
Legal Definition
legalize
transitive verb
le·gal·ize
ˈlē-gə-ˌlīz
legalized; legalizing
: to make legal
especially
: to give legal validity or sanction to
legalization
noun
legalizer
noun
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