dictate

verb dic·tate \ ˈdik-ˌtāt , dik-ˈ \

Updated on: 22 Apr 2018

Definition of dictate

dictated; dictating

intransitive verb

1 : to utter words to be transcribed : to give dictation

dictate for the stenographer

2 : to speak or act domineeringly : prescribe

resents being dictated to

transitive verb

1 : to speak or read for a person to transcribe or for a machine to record

dictating a letter to her secretary

2 a : to issue as an order

b : to impose, pronounce, or specify authoritatively

dictate the terms of surrender

… the league will dictate policy for all teams …
—Alex Yannis

c : to require or determine necessarily

injuries dictated the choice of players

The weather will dictate how long we stay.

See dictate defined for English-language learners

See dictate defined for kids

Examples of dictate in a Sentence

She's dictating a letter to her secretary.
They insisted on being able to dictate the terms of surrender.
Tradition dictates that the youngest member should go first.
The basket's function dictates its size and shape.

Recent Examples of dictate from the Web

All of this inconsistency raises a fundamental question about jurisprudence: Does the law dictate a right and wrong way to hold a trial?

— eriq gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, "Will Any Bill Cosby Conviction Withstand an Appeals Court?," 17 Apr. 2018
In neither case are minds closed to a different outcome if subsequent evidence dictates, but competent people think ahead.

— brooke singman, Fox News, "Comey admits drafting Clinton exoneration before interview, defends move as routine," 17 Apr. 2018
Expectations should never dictate performance, good or bad.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: MLS joy? Nope. At at the moment.," 17 Apr. 2018
Photo: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News A senior administration official said the White House had opted for candidates who might be less aggressive in raising interest rates than textbooks could dictate.

— nick timiraos, WSJ, "Trump’s Establishment Picks Show Support for Fed Status Quo," 17 Apr. 2018
More meetings are in the works at Waukegan District 60 to introduce and gather feedback on a new policy dictating the requirements students must meet to move from grade to grade after concerns that parents could be blindsided by the changes.

— emily k. coleman, Lake County News-Sun, "Waukegan District 60 considering 'very large cultural shift' on passing students," 11 Apr. 2018
If position largely dictates identity in girls soccer, Kaneland junior Rachael Lutter is a chameleon.

— patrick z. mcgavin, Aurora Beacon-News, "Cincinnati recruit Rachael Lutter uses defensive experience to spark Kaneland's offense," 10 Apr. 2018
But unlike most conventional attitudes dictate, people in nonmonogamous relationships don’t try to ignore the emotion or avoid it.

— bahar gholipour, The Cut, "Advice From a Polyamory Coach on Dealing With Relationship Jealousy," 30 Mar. 2018
The loss-making paper, subsidized heavily by Adelson, was a crude propaganda outlet for Netanyahu; the prime minister’s office even reportedly dictated its headlines.

— gregg carlstrom, Newsweek, "The Fall of Benjamin Netanyahu and the Future of Israel," 15 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of dictate

Latin dictatus, past participle of dictare to assert, dictate, frequentative of dicere to say — more at diction

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1577

See Words from the same year

dictate Synonyms

Phrases

call for;

dictate

noun dic·tate \ ˈdik-ˌtāt \

Definition of dictate

1 a : an authoritative rule, prescription, or injunction

the dictates of the party

b : a ruling principle

according to the dictates of your conscience

2 : a command by one in authority

papal dictates

See dictate defined for English-language learners

Examples of dictate in a Sentence

a starchily worded dictate from on high concerning the company's dress code

Recent Examples of dictate from the Web

The loudspeakers crackle on soon after sunrise, bathing the village of Nanmiao in Communist Party dictates.

— jessica meyers, latimes.com, "‘Good morning, it’s the Communist Party': Loudspeakers in China take Xi’s ideological campaign to new levels," 23 Oct. 2017
We're Balkanized, incapable of talking to each other, hopelessly sliced and diced according to the dictates of identity politics.

— christian caryl, Alaska Dispatch News, "Country divided? Caring dead? Not in the floodwaters of Texas, Jack," 30 Aug. 2017
The agents then, as policy for unaccompanied and undocumented minors dictates, transferred her to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement.

— henry gass, The Christian Science Monitor, "Sanctuary debate: What should immigration enforcement look like at hospitals?," 3 Nov. 2017
The result would be an executive branch freed from the judicial scrutiny required to assure compliance with the dictates of the Bill of Rights and other constitutional safeguards.

— dahlia lithwick, Slate Magazine, "Was Trump’s Pardon of Joe Arpaio Unconstitutional?," 15 Sep. 2017
Every now and then the dictates of ideology and advocacy-group pressure cause people in government to do things with terrible — if revealing — political optics.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Administration Continues Fight to Keep Immigrant Imprisoned So She Can’t Have a Legal Abortion," 20 Oct. 2017
More Iranians are eager for ideas different than the dictates of unelected theocrats.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "The big hope behind the Iranian nuclear pact," 14 Oct. 2017
The first, called limited rationality, helps explain why people do not necessarily follow the dictates of classical economics.

— adrian cho, Science | AAAS, "Pioneer of 'nudge' science and explorer of irrational decisions earns economics Nobel," 9 Oct. 2017
This is surely a step forward for Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy ruled under Sharia law, a strict interpretation of the Quran's dictates.

— jack holmes, Esquire, "Don't Suddenly Start Praising Saudi Arabia," 29 Sep. 2017

Origin and Etymology of dictate

see ¹dictate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1582

See Words from the same year

dictate Synonyms

Synonyms

behest, charge, command, commandment, decree, direction, directive, do, edict, imperative, injunction, instruction, order, word;

Near Antonyms

appeal, entreaty, petition, plea, urging;

proposal, recommendation, suggestion;

Related Words

demand, requirement;

mandate;

countermand, counterorder;

law, precept, prescript, prescription, rule;

ordinance, regulation, statute;

DICTATE Defined for English Language Learners

dictate

verb

Definition of dictate for English Language Learners

: to speak or read (something) to a person who writes it down or to a machine that records it
: to say or state (something) with authority or power
: to make (something) necessary

dictate

noun

Definition of dictate for English Language Learners

: an order or direction given with authority
: a rule or principle that guides something (such as an activity or a person's behavior)

DICTATE Defined for Kids

dictate

verb dic·tate \ ˈdik-ˌtāt \

Definition of dictate for Students

dictated; dictating

1 : to speak or read for someone else to write down or for a machine to record

dictate a letter

2 : to say or state with authority : order

You can't dictate what I can do.

3 : to make necessary

Tradition dictates that we go first.

Word Root of dictate

The Latin word dicere, meaning “to say” or “to speak,” and its form dictus give us the root dict. Words from the Latin dicere have something to do with saying or speaking. To dictate is to say words that are to be written down by someone else. To contradict is to say the opposite of what someone else has said. To predict is to say what will happen before it does.

dictate

noun

Definition of dictate for Students

1 : an order or direction given with authority : command

2 : a guiding rule or principle She ignores the dictates of fashion.

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See words that rhyme with dictate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dictate Spanish Central: Translation of dictate Nglish: Translation of dictate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dictate for Arabic speakers

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dictate

Definition of dictate

Examples of dictate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of dictate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of dictate

dictate Synonyms

Synonyms

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Related Words

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DICTATE Defined for English Language Learners

dictate

Definition of dictate for English Language Learners

dictate

Definition of dictate for English Language Learners

DICTATE Defined for Kids

dictate

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dictate

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