legislate

verb

leg·​is·​late ˈle-jə-ˌslāt How to pronounce legislate (audio)
legislated; legislating
Synonyms of legislatenext

intransitive verb

: to perform the function of legislation
specifically : to make or enact laws

transitive verb

: to mandate, establish, or regulate by or as if by legislation

Synonyms of legislate

Examples of legislate in a Sentence

They are attempting to legislate morality. the need to better legislate foreign trade trying to legislate changes in the current law
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Subsequent bets placed on the Iran war and other government actions have heightened the alarm of lawmakers, who are scrambling to legislate tougher restrictions on the platforms. Justin Papp,garrett Downs, CNBC, 15 Apr. 2026 Albany must take on Con Edison and legislate with the urgency this moment demands. Shahana Hanif, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026 This makes prediction markets the most useful and precise tool for eradicating exposing insider trading that has ever existed—a tool Congress should rely on heavily, not legislate out of existence. Nic Puckrin, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026 Critiques of the bill Cohen added that under international law, Israel’s parliament should not be legislating in the West Bank, which is not sovereign Israeli territory. Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for legislate

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from legislator

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of legislate was in 1656

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Legislate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legislate. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

legislate

verb
leg·​is·​late ˈlej-ə-ˌslāt How to pronounce legislate (audio)
legislated; legislating
1
: to make laws
the constitutional power to legislate
2
: to cause, establish, or regulate by legislation
legislating foreign trade

Legal Definition

legislate

verb
leg·​is·​late ˈle-jəs-ˌlāt How to pronounce legislate (audio)
legislated; legislating

intransitive verb

: to perform the function of legislation
specifically : to make or enact laws

transitive verb

: to cause, create, provide, or bring about by legislation

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