legislate
verb
leg·is·late
ˈle-jə-ˌslāt 
legislated; legislating
: to perform the function of legislation
specifically
: to make or enact laws
: 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
His Conservative Party, which for all its hand-wringing about AI safety had advocated only light-touch AI regulation, was replaced by a Labour government that has signaled a greater willingness to legislate on AI.
—
Billy Perrigo, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025
States like Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine, legislated with binding laws that set limits on emissions to mitigate climate change.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
In others, like Florida and Missouri, specific ballot measures have legislated the increases over the years.
—Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2025
Public safety grants The Michigan budget set aside just over $100 million to create a Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund and HBs 4605 and 4606 were intended to legislate how grants from the fund would be distributed to eligible communities.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for legislate 
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.
Billy Perrigo, TIME, 16 Jan. 2025
States like Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Maine, legislated with binding laws that set limits on emissions to mitigate climate change.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
In others, like Florida and Missouri, specific ballot measures have legislated the increases over the years.
—Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 7 Jan. 2025
Public safety grants The Michigan budget set aside just over $100 million to create a Public Safety and Violence Prevention Fund and HBs 4605 and 4606 were intended to legislate how grants from the fund would be distributed to eligible communities.
—Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press, 21 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for legislate
Dictionary Entries Near legislate
Cite this Entry
“Legislate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legislate. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
legislate
verb
leg·is·late
ˈlej-ə-ˌslāt
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
legislated; legislating
: to perform the function of legislation
specifically
: to make or enact laws
: to cause, create, provide, or bring about by legislation
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share