promulgate

verb

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pro·mul·gate | \ ˈprä-məl-ˌgāt

; prō-ˈməl-, prə-ˈməl-, ˈprō-(ˌ)məl-

promulgated; promulgating

Definition of promulgate

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.

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 But that by itself was not enough to promulgate the result through the field. — Quanta Magazine, 9 Sep. 2021 When coronavirus restrictions put a hold on all protests, Beijing moved to promulgate a national security law in June 2020 that criminalized secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. — Jessie Yeung, CNN, 15 Aug. 2021 The protests, which often turned violent and threw the semi-autonomous Chinese city into political turmoil, prompted the Chinese government to promulgate the security law last summer. — Jessie Yeung, CNN, 23 July 2021 The order also gives the Department of Health and Human Services 120 days to promulgate rules allowing hearing aids to be sold over the counter. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2021 Attorney General Merrick Garland issued the rulings in a pair of decisions, following an executive order from President Joe Biden directing the departments of Justice and Homeland Security to promulgate new asylum regulations. — Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 16 June 2021 The goal is not to manufacture consent but to promulgate confusion, and digital capitalism expands the arsenal used to assault our senses. — Astra Taylor, The New Republic, 6 May 2021 His last act was to promulgate a memo that sharply limited how DOJ could use consent decrees in the future. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, 21 Apr. 2021 The California version isn’t identical to the model code; every three years, state officials rework the national code to fit California’s needs and promulgate the result as state law. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2021

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.