promulgate

verb

pro·​mul·​gate ˈprä-məl-ˌgāt 

prō-ˈməl-,

prə-ˈməl-,

ˈprō-(ˌ)məl- 

promulgated; promulgating

transitive verb

1

: to make (an idea, belief, etc.) known to many people by open declaration : proclaim

… the huge meeting served primarily as the occasion on which to promulgate the official doctrine …

—Roger Shattuck

From the beginning our objective has been to develop and promulgate new models for the calculus-based introductory course.

—John S. Rigden et al.

2

a

: to make known or public the terms of (a proposed law)

The law was promulgated in February 1993.

b

: to put (a law or rule) into action or force

… more than 200 colleges and universities have promulgated behavioral codes that punish various forms of harassment …

—Ken Myers

promulgation

ˌprä-məl-ˈgā-shən 

ˌprō-(ˌ)məl-

(ˌ)prō-ˌməl-

noun

promulgator

ˈprä-məl-ˌgā-tər 

prō-ˈməl-

prə-ˈməl-

ˈprō-(ˌ)məl-

noun

Did you know?

The origin of promulgate is a bit murky, or perhaps we should say "milky." It comes from Latin promulgatus, which in turn derives from pro-, meaning "forward," and -mulgare, a form that is probably related to the verb mulgēre, meaning "to milk" or "to extract." Mulgēre is an ancestor of the English word emulsion ("mixture of mutually insoluble liquids"), and it is also related to the Old English word that became milk itself. Like its synonyms declare, announce, and proclaim, promulgate means "to make known publicly." It particularly implies the proclaiming of a dogma, doctrine, or law.

Synonyms

• publish
• announce
• proclaim
• declare
• advertise

Choose the Right Synonym for promulgate

declare, announce, proclaim, promulgate mean to make known publicly.

declare implies explicitness and usually formality in making known.

the referee declared the contest a draw

announce implies the declaration of something for the first time.

announced their engagement at a party

proclaim implies declaring clearly, forcefully, and authoritatively.

the president proclaimed a national day of mourning

promulgate implies the proclaiming of a dogma, doctrine, or law.

promulgated an edict of religious toleration

Examples of promulgate in a Sentence

Her ideas have been widely promulgated on the Internet.

The law was promulgated in April 1988.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Romans, for instance, promulgated laws that prohibited a debtor from transferring away assets so as to cheat creditors, and these Roman laws were the basis of the fraudulent transfers laws found in Anglo-American law. —Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

The legislation also includes two bills previously passed by the House that seek to limit regulatory power, giving either Congress the power to strike down regulations promulgated by agencies. —Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 1 May 2025

The lawsuit argues that the OMB promulgated the use of the clause in question to justify the cuts. —Michael Casey, Denver Post, 25 June 2025

Mindful of the apparent ambiguity in the statute, Treasury and the CBP promulgated regulations in 2018 that relied on a muscular interpretation of section 1313(v). —Robert Goulder, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin promulgatus, past participle of promulgare, from pro- forward + -mulgare (probably akin to mulgēre to milk, extract) — more at emulsion

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for promulgate

• vulgate

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Kids Definition

promulgate

verb

pro·​mul·​gate ˈpräm-əl-ˌgāt  prō-ˈməl- 

promulgated; promulgating

: to make known or make public

promulgate a new law

promulgation

ˌpräm-əl-ˈgā-shən 

ˌprō-(ˌ)məl-

noun

Legal Definition

promulgate

transitive verb

prom·​ul·​gate ˈprä-məl-ˌgāt, prō-ˈməl- 

promulgated; promulgating

1

: to make known or public

2

: to put (as a regulation) into effect

promulgation

ˌprä-məl-ˈgā-shən, ˌprō-ˌməl- 

noun

promulgator

ˈprä-məl-ˌgā-tər, prō-ˈməl- 

noun