legalize

verb

le·​gal·​ize ˈlē-gə-ˌlīz 

legalized; legalizing

transitive verb

: to make legal

especially : to give legal validity or sanction to

legalization

ˌlē-gə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

legalizer

ˈlē-gə-ˌlī-zər 

noun

Examples of legalize in a Sentence

They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.

The government has legalized the use of the new drug.

Recent Examples on the Web

The executive order does not, however, legalize marijuana under federal law. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 19 Dec. 2025

Trump's order does not immediately reclassify marijuana and does not legalize recreational cannabis usage. —Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 19 Dec. 2025

Many states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana for adults or allow it for medical purposes. —Arkansas Online, 18 Dec. 2025

The change would not legalize the drug on the federal level, but would ease barriers for research using cannabis and could bolster the cannabis industry. —Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 18 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1652, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for legalize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

legalize

verb

le·​gal·​ize ˈlē-gə-ˌlīz 

legalized; legalizing

: to make legal

wanted to legalize gambling in their city

legalization

ˌlē-gə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Legal Definition

legalize

transitive verb

le·​gal·​ize ˈlē-gə-ˌlīz 

legalized; legalizing

: to make legal

especially : to give legal validity or sanction to

legalization noun

legalizer noun