promulgate

verb

pro·mul·gate | \ ˈprä-məl-ˌgāt

; prō-ˈməl-, prə-ˈməl-, ˈprō-(ˌ)məl-

promulgated; promulgating

Definition of promulgate

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.

2a : 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

Other Words from promulgate Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about promulgate

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Other Words from promulgate

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

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

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.

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

Transparency is another thorny issue, and the Senate and House will promulgate distinct disclosure rules. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Sexual Harassment on the Hill," 28 Dec. 2018 For years, the Five Star Movement promulgated euro-skepticism, and initially promised a nonbinding referendum on the euro. — New York Times, "Why Italy’s Political Turmoil Is Causing Financial Angst Elsewhere," 29 May 2018 The arrest put to rest the insane theory, promulgated by some right-wing pundits, that the incendiary devices were a hoax which involved Democrats mailing bombs to themselves. — Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, "The Week in Washington: “There’s No Proof of Anything”," 28 Oct. 2018 Jones has amassed a following on the far-right while promulgating conspiracy theories that claim terror attacks such as 9/11 were actually carried out by the U.S. government. — Christopher Carbone, Fox News, "Twitter suspends Alex Jones from key functions of account," 15 Aug. 2018 Jones has amassed a large following on the right while promulgating conspiracy theories that claim terror attacks such as 9/11 were actually carried out by the government. — Barbara Ortutay, The Seattle Times, "Major tech companies remove Alex Jones for hate, bullying," 7 Aug. 2018 One sleight of hand is that HHS is promulgating the rule through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, not the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates safety and efficacy disclosures in drug advertisements. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Trump’s Drug Price Bust," 18 Oct. 2018 In promulgating the pay rules, the government agencies noted that excessive salaries to actors were harming the quality of Chinese film and television production. — Don Lee, latimes.com, "In China's 'money worshiping' movie industry, stars' high pay becomes a target of the central government," 5 July 2018 Democrats who were once enthralled with Silicon Valley fell out of love with Facebook following reports that Russian trolls used its platform to promulgate fake news and ads to support Donald Trump in 2016. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Democrats Unfriend Facebook," 11 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'promulgate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.