legislate

verb

leg·​is·​late ˈle-jə-ˌslāt How to pronounce legislate (audio)
legislated; legislating

intransitive verb

: to perform the function of legislation
specifically : to make or enact laws

transitive verb

: to mandate, establish, or regulate by or as if by legislation

Examples of legislate in a Sentence

They are attempting to legislate morality. the need to better legislate foreign trade trying to legislate changes in the current law
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Much of life in Louisville — from how businesses are regulated to which roads get speed bumps — is legislated by the 26-member Louisville Metro Council. Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 27 Dec. 2024 The bottom line: That will make extending Trump's tax cuts, not to mention legislating any new ones, very difficult to achieve if Trump and congressional Republicans are serious about cutting deficit spending. Hans Nichols, Axios, 20 Dec. 2024 No game plan can legislate for Altay Bayindir’s unfortunate errors. Mark Critchley, The Athletic, 20 Dec. 2024 Sydney, Australia Reuters — Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday the government would legislate for a ban on social media for children under 16, a policy the government says is world-leading. Reuters, CNN, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for legislate 

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from legislator

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of legislate was in 1656

Dictionary Entries Near legislate

Cite this Entry

“Legislate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legislate. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

legislate

verb
leg·​is·​late ˈlej-ə-ˌslāt How to pronounce legislate (audio)
legislated; legislating
1
: to make laws
the constitutional power to legislate
2
: to cause, establish, or regulate by legislation
legislating foreign trade

Legal Definition

legislate

verb
leg·​is·​late ˈle-jəs-ˌlāt How to pronounce legislate (audio)
legislated; legislating

intransitive verb

: to perform the function of legislation
specifically : to make or enact laws

transitive verb

: to cause, create, provide, or bring about by legislation

More from Merriam-Webster on legislate

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