regulator

noun

reg·​u·​la·​tor ˈre-gyə-ˌlā-tər 

 also  ˈrā-

1

: one that regulates

2

: regulatory gene

Synonyms

• control
• controller

Examples of regulator in a Sentence

the voltage regulator will make sure your car's alternator gets the right amount of electricity

Recent Examples on the Web

But the draft allows the Department of Insurance to seek 30-day extensions beyond the two-month period as long as regulators publicly disclose what is slowing the review — immediately setting off a dispute about its possible implications. —Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2024

Identifying potential miscreants and giving them clear ground rules, with swift comeback when those rules are broken, is an approach born of the frustrations that regulators have experienced when scrambling to keep up with the sector’s move-fast-and-break-things approach. —David Meyer, Fortune, 28 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1648, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing regulator

• growth regulator
• regulator gene

Medical Definition

regulator

noun

reg·​u·​la·​tor ˈreg-yə-ˌlāt-ər 

1

: one that regulates

2

: regulatory gene

Legal Definition

regulator

noun

reg·​u·​la·​tor ˈre-gyə-ˌlā-tər 

: one (as a government agency) that regulates