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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 Tech leaders took opposing positions on regulating AI, pointing to a growing rift in the industry. — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026 Since 2018, when the Supreme Court overturned the federal ban on sports betting known as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, states have had the right to regulate sports betting. — Chad Millman, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026 What do those two have in common with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, which operate regulated, capital-intensive telecom networks? — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026 But Congress has long been reluctant to regulate the technology industry. — ABC News, 15 Sep. 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
  • Western Michigan won the rushing battle and dominated time of possession, controlling the ball for more than 40 minutes.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Musk plans to integrate Cybercabs, which lack manual controls that passengers could use to take over in an emergency, into the company’s existing cab service, which until now has used only conventional Tesla vehicles.
    — Bernard Condon, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of control
Verb
  • No side allowed their opponents more shots across the first two Premier League rounds of the season (44) than Newcastle, and Bournemouth managed another 17 on Saturday, 13 of them during the first half.
    — Chris Waugh, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The Rockies, who managed just a walk through the first four innings, finished with 11 hits.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of manage
Verb
  • Another endearing dining feature at the property is its honesty pantry containing drinks and snacks to go and a coffee station for early risers—guests can feel free to pad about any time of day or night.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026
  • As promulgated last month, ballots must use envelopes with an election-mail logo that can to be scanned using high-speed processing equipment and contain a barcode unique to each voter.
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of contain
Verb
  • The following year, he was sentenced to 188 months, nearly 16 years, in prison, with five years supervised release.
    — Emily Trainham, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026
  • In her current role, Second Assistant District Attorney, Sprague supervises all homicides that occur in Plymouth County as well as all firearm and narcotics cases, according to her profile.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of supervise
Verb
  • Jackson’s availability was curbed by red cards at Chelsea — in Bruges, a barge and shirt pull with defender Han-Beom Lee suggested those flickers of fury and confrontation still burn.
    — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The result underlined AfD's skill in harnessing discontent with issues well beyond its core theme of curbing immigration as an unpopular national government struggles to turn around a stubbornly sluggish economy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of curb
Verb
  • The project is aimed at making hypersonic flight testing faster and more repeatable, addressing one of the major bottlenecks in the development of weapons and other systems designed to operate at speeds above Mach 5.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Hundreds more cameras could be left operating and unaffected throughout the four-county region.
    — Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of operate
Verb
  • The man then bit Mejia and attempted to bite Olenick, which prompted the three men to start using duct tape from a flight attendant to restrain him, both men said.
    — Taylor Galgano, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
  • At that point, Mejia and Olenick jumped in to restrain the man in his seat using duct tape and zip ties provided by a flight attendant.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of restrain
Verb
  • José Dias Toffoli, who previously stepped down from overseeing the Banco Master case because of his links to Vorcaro, also refused to vote.
    — MAURICIO SAVARESE, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The Reactor Pilot Program was established under Executive Order 14301 and allows the DOE to oversee the design, construction, and initial testing of qualifying advanced reactors outside national laboratories, with the NRC observing the process.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 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 18 Sep. 2026.

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