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.
Common sense and sound judgment can’t be legislated. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 21 Nov. 2024 Perhaps countries could legislate to make these watermarking technologies mandatory, but then there will certainly be countries that elect not to, and shady operations that build their own AI models to get around any such restrictions. New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2024 To allegedly protect the most vulnerable, Senator Warren and friends are unwittingly legislating much greater vulnerability, all to the benefit of scammers. John Tamny, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024 But a president can't legislate without a like-minded Congress, and the Supreme Court's recent push toward states' rights has made gubernatorial and local races more important than ever. Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 20 Sep. 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 17 Dec. 2024.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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