regulate

verb

ˈre-gyə-ˌlāt How to pronounce regulate (audio)
Definition of regulatenext
1
as in to control
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) you would be well advised to regulate your enthusiasm for the venture and pause to consider the risk involved

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to manage
to look after and make decisions about the government agency that regulates the nuclear power industry in this country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of regulate Arizona, where Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Phoenix is located, does not have a state-level agency that regulates amusement park rides or conducts safety inspections at all. — ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026 Witch fever, by this point in history, had become a mechanism for brutally regulating and disciplining female behavior, and doing so intergenerationally. — Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026 The sentence closes a criminal case that grew from an endangerment arrest into a sweeping prosecution tied to multiple deaths and reshaped how Texas regulates unlicensed care homes and the agents who steer older adults into them. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026 The aim of the report, Gladstone’s executives tell TIME, is to give lawmakers a better understanding of how RSI works, and, in turn, a greater ability to regulate it. — Billy Perrigo, Time, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for regulate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regulate
  1. control
  2. manage
  3. contain
  4. supervise
  5. curb
  6. operate
  7. restrain
  8. oversee
Verb
  • The regions of the brain that control emotion and memory, like the amygdala and hippocampus, also function differently during this altered state.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Which team’s backfield will help their team control the clock and potentially win the game?
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of control
Verb
  • The main idea of the company is to automate parts of these missions so personnel can concentrate on operational decisions rather than manually managing every aspect of a drone’s flight or sensor operation.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Graham’s poetry—as readers of The New York Review will know—somehow manages to reckon with the whole spectrum of human existence in the 2020s.
    — Matthew Aucoin, The New York Review of Books, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of manage
Verb
  • This post contains spoilers for The Diplomat Season 4, now streaming on Netflix.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The researchers started by making a single, long protein that contained the protease, the sequence it was designed to target, and a fluorescent protein.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of contain
Verb
  • Fisker Automotive said that an internal investigation supervised by transportation regulators found salt corrosion had caused a short circuit in the battery, leading to the fire, rather than a preexisting defect.
    — Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Moton discussed it and his future with numerous people, including his family and Panthers team doctor Nancy Gritter, who supervised much of his care.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of supervise
Verb
  • Washington has pressed Zelenskyy to curb attacks on energy facilities, linking them to the rising price of US fuel in the run-up to midterm elections, where Republicans are expected to fare poorly.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending one of its scientists to Pennsylvania to help curb the state’s growing measles outbreak, a CDC spokesperson said Thursday.
    — Erika Edwards, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of curb
Verb
  • The integration could help American troops operate uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) when adversaries attempt to disrupt battlefield communications.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The team’s last-second win over the Philadelphia Eagles last week in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was organized and operated by the NFL, part of the league’s more standard rotation of all teams playing overseas.
    — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of operate
Verb
  • The Indian captain opened the cockpit door after being attacked with an ax so that passengers could restrain the terrorist co-pilot.
    — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
  • An image from a San Francisco police officer's body camera shows an officer punching Kevon Gibson as he is being restrained by other officers.
    — Senior Editor, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of restrain
Verb
  • The list of senior executives did not answer the question of who would oversee the old Paramount and Warner Bros.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Florida has the nation’s busiest death chamber DeSantis, who leaves office in January, oversaw 19 executions in 2025, more than any other Florida governor in a single year since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.
    — David Fischer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of oversee

Browse Nearby Words

regulars
regulate
regulated
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Cite this Entry

“Regulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regulate. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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