legitimize
verb
le·git·i·mize
li-ˈji-tə-ˌmīz 
legitimized; legitimizing
: to make legitimate : legitimate
Examples of legitimize in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The order largely legitimizes medical marijuana programs in 40 states and grants operators major tax breaks and cannabis research access for the first time.
—
Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Blanche's action Iargely legitimizes medical marijuana programs in the 40 states that have adopted them.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
In 2007 the Declaration of Reasonable Doubt, a digital petition to legitimize the authorship question, was spearheaded by veteran Shakespearean actors Derek Jacobi and Mark Rylance.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
That bull and another issued three years later, Romanus Pontifex, formed the basis of the Doctrine of Discovery, the theory that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of land in Africa and the Americas.
—Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
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Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Blanche's action Iargely legitimizes medical marijuana programs in the 40 states that have adopted them.
—ABC News, 23 Apr. 2026
In 2007 the Declaration of Reasonable Doubt, a digital petition to legitimize the authorship question, was spearheaded by veteran Shakespearean actors Derek Jacobi and Mark Rylance.
—Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Apr. 2026
That bull and another issued three years later, Romanus Pontifex, formed the basis of the Doctrine of Discovery, the theory that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of land in Africa and the Americas.
—Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for legitimize
Cite this Entry
“Legitimize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legitimize. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
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Legal Definition
legitimize
transitive verb
le·git·i·mize
lə-ˈji-tə-ˌmīz
legitimized; legitimizing
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