mandate

noun man·date \ ˈman-ˌdāt \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of mandate

1 : an authoritative command; especially : a formal order from a superior court or official to an inferior one

2 : an authorization to act given to a representative

accepted the mandate of the people

3 a : an order or commission granted by the League of Nations to a member nation for the establishment of a responsible government over a former German colony or other conquered territory

b : a mandated territory

See mandate defined for English-language learners

See mandate defined for kids

Examples of mandate in a Sentence

Sports fans have considerable forbearance. Year after year they endure escalating ticket prices, the abomination known as seat licensing and the implied mandate that taxpayers should foot the bill for the new stadium or arena that will absolutely revive downtown. —Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 30 July 2007
All provisions requiring congressional approval, such as FDA regulation, were dropped, as were mandates for stronger package warnings, tighter enforcement on sales to youth, stronger public smoking bans, and … provisions to reduce youth smoking. —Allan M. Brandt, The Cigarette Century, 2007
Not the least of the Governors' problems are the new mandates being put on them by Washington—by a President who was once one of their own. —Karen Tumulty, Time, 19 May 2003
Royal mandates must be obeyed.
They carried out the governor's mandate to build more roads.
He won the election so convincingly that he believed he had been given a mandate for change.

Recent Examples of mandate from the Web

Not only is there no such mandate, the bureau is authorized by law to hire excepted service employees, and this is a common occurrence among independent regulatory agencies.

— WSJ, "Mick Mulvaney Replies to Elizabeth Warren," 3 Apr. 2018
All week, Bitegate has torn the nation asunder—and now, the late night world has finally waded in, with James Corden and Stephen Colbert (must have been a CBS-wide mandate, huh?) both dedicating segments to diving into the case.

— yohana desta, HWD, "James Corden and Stephen Colbert Are Determined to Solve Beyoncé Bitegate," 30 Mar. 2018
In any case, an all-populist coalition could give itself a limited mandate to alter Italy’s hotchpotch of an electoral law, enact a few popular reforms and then go back to the country.

— The Economist, "Italy’s populists edge closer to forming a government," 27 Mar. 2018
Johnson said there is no mandate on Maccagnan and coach Todd Bowles to make the playoffs this season.

— barry wilner, Houston Chronicle, "Jets rescind free agency offer to Ndamukong Suh," 26 Mar. 2018
Both the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, have issued guidelines for active shooter incidents, but there is not a federal mandate on how agencies should work in tandem.

— laura ingle, Fox News, "Medics taking more active role in active shooter situations," 26 Mar. 2018
But Congress also tacked on the legal mandate for the four continental time zones.

— michael downing, Smithsonian, "One Hundred Years Later, the Madness of Daylight Saving Time Endures," 9 Mar. 2018
Consider Phlebas arrives as Amazon has been on a mission — a mandate from CEO Jeff Bezos — to find its Game of Thrones.

— lesley goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Consider Phlebas' TV Series in the Works at Amazon," 21 Feb. 2018
Working-class people across the spectrum organize around the fact that a lack of access to capital should not be a death sentence, and health care for all is a mandate.

— the root staff, The Root, "Black to the Future: What The Root Will Be Writing About in 2028," 28 Jan. 2018

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

When Should You Use mandate?

A mandate from a leader is a command you can't refuse. But that kind of personal command is rarely the meaning of mandate today; much more common are connected with institutions. Thus, the Clean Air Act was a mandate from Congress to clean up air pollution—and since mandate is also a verb, we could say instead that the Clear Air Act mandated new restrictions on air pollution. Elections are often interpreted as mandates from the public for certain kinds of action. But since a politician is not just a symbol of certain policies but also an individual who might happen to have an awfully nice smile, it can be risky to interpret most elections as mandating anything at all.

Origin and Etymology of mandate

Middle French & Latin; Middle French mandat, from Latin mandatum, from neuter of mandatus, past participle of mandare to entrust, enjoin, probably irregular from manus hand + -dere to put — more at manual, do

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1501

See Words from the same year

mandate Synonyms

Synonyms

accreditation, authorization, commission, delegation, empowerment, license (or licence);

Related Words

commendation, consignment, entrustment;

facilitation, fostering, promotion;

commanding, directing, ordering;

Other Legal Terms

actionable, alienable, carceral, chattel, complicity, decedent, larceny, malfeasance, modus operandi

mandate

verb man·date \ ˈman-ˌdāt \

Definition of mandate

mandated; mandating

transitive verb

1 : to administer or assign (something, such as a territory) under a mandate

2 : to officially require (something) : make (something) mandatory : order

a law mandating recycling

; also : to direct or require (someone) to do something

a commission mandated to investigate corruption

See mandate defined for English-language learners

Examples of mandate in a Sentence

The carbon prices on the European exchanges are higher precisely because the allowances for carbon emissions are mandated by government. —Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006
But the FDA did nothing. Later, it protested that it doesn't have the authority to mandate additional studies once a drug is marketed, but that is sophistry. The FDA has the authority to pull drugs off the market … —Marcia Angell, New York Review of Books, 8 June 2006
For a few tantalizing weeks this spring, the manufacturers of gun safety locks seemed to have hit the jackpot: the gun-control bill passed by the Senate in the wake of the Littleton shootings mandated that all new handguns be equipped with safety locks. —Calvin Trillin, Time, 5 July 1999
The law mandates that every car have seat belts.
He won the election so convincingly that he believed the people had mandated him to carry out his policies.

Recent Examples of mandate from the Web

That’s because the rules are designed to force improvements in internal-combustion engine technology, not mandate sales of a type of vehicle.

— Scientific American, "EPA to Roll Back Car Efficiency Rules, Despite Science That Supports Them," 3 Apr. 2018
What the constitution says about the census The census is one of those rare parts of American life that is actually mandated by the Constitution — right at the top.

— dara lind, Vox, "The citizenship question on the 2020 census, explained," 28 Mar. 2018
When travel is mandated by law as part of an employee's regular duties, a request for travel is not required.

— karen farkas, cleveland.com, "Cuyahoga County's proposed travel policy adds more oversight and restrictions," 26 Mar. 2018
Richmond said the county is not mandating or officially recommending residents undertake any particular suggestions, but that the survey is meant to show them options.

— kate magill, Columbia Flier, "For flood-prone Ellicott City, study lays out ideas to make buildings more ‘resilient’," 23 Mar. 2018
Whether stiffer rules will be mandated isn't clear.

— CBS News, "Toxic algae leads Ohio to designate western Lake Erie as "impaired"," 22 Mar. 2018
As a retired Army National Guard colonel, Wilson gets a lot of benefits (one of which, apparently, was not a full appreciation of the customs, traditions, and courtesies that mandate respect for one's commander in chief).

— Newsweek, "Analysis," 14 Mar. 2018
The bill, however, doesn't mandate that companies must provide the drugs to those who ask for them.

— deirdre walsh, CNN, "'Right to Try' bill for terminally ill patients fails in the House," 13 Mar. 2018
Standridge said the legislation does not mandate any government agency display the motto.

— ashley remkus, AL.com, "Have you seen him? 14-year-old reported missing in Limestone County," 7 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of mandate

see ¹mandate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1919

See Words from the same year

mandate Synonyms

Phrases

call for;

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

MANDATE Defined for English Language Learners

mandate

noun

Definition of mandate for English Language Learners

: an official order to do something
: the power to act that voters give to their elected leaders

mandate

verb

Definition of mandate for English Language Learners

: to officially demand or require (something)
: to officially give (someone) the power to do something

MANDATE Defined for Kids

mandate

noun man·date \ ˈman-ˌdāt \

Definition of mandate for Students

1 : an order from a higher court to a lower court

2 : a command or instruction from an authority

3 : the instruction given by voters to their elected representatives

Word Root of mandate

The Latin word mandāre, meaning “to commit” or “to order,” gives us the root mand. Words from the Latin mandāre have something to do with committing or ordering. When a task is mandatory, someone has ordered that it must be done. To command is to order someone to do something. A mandate is an order from an authority to follow specific instructions.

Law Dictionary

mandate

noun man·date \ ˈman-ˌdāt \

legal Definition of mandate

1 a : a formal communication from a reviewing court notifying the court below of its judgment and directing the lower court to act accordingly

b : mandamus

2 in the civil law of Louisiana : an act by which a person gives another person the power to transact for him or her one or several affairs

3 a : an authoritative command : a clear authorization or direction

the mandate of the full faith and credit clause
—National Law Journal

b : the authorization to act given by a constituency to its elected representative

Origin and Etymology of mandate

Latin mandatum, from neuter of mandatus, past participle of mandare to entrust, enjoin, probably irregularly from manus hand + -dere to put

mandate

transitive verb

legal Definition of mandate

mandated; mandating

: to make mandatory or required

the Pennsylvania Constitution mandates a criminal defendant's right to confrontation
—National Law Journal

Learn More about mandate

See words that rhyme with mandate Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mandate Spanish Central: Translation of mandate Nglish: Translation of mandate for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of mandate for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mandate

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mandate

Definition of mandate

Examples of mandate in a Sentence

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When Should You Use mandate?

Origin and Etymology of mandate

mandate Synonyms

Synonyms

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Other Legal Terms

mandate

Definition of mandate

Examples of mandate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of mandate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of mandate

mandate Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

Other Government and Politics Terms

MANDATE Defined for English Language Learners

mandate

Definition of mandate for English Language Learners

mandate

Definition of mandate for English Language Learners

MANDATE Defined for Kids

mandate

Definition of mandate for Students

Word Root of mandate

Law Dictionary

mandate

legal Definition of mandate

Origin and Etymology of mandate

mandate

legal Definition of mandate

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