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
mandated; mandating
1
: to administer or assign (something, such as a territory) under a mandate
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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.
Examples of mandate in a Sentence
Noun
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.
Verb
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.
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.
Verb
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 on the Web
Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
Other cases involve mandates to display the Ten Commandments in Louisiana classrooms and to place Bibles in Oklahoma schools.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Mark Minevich, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
The order mandates that the CPB revise its 2025 General Provisions to explicitly prohibit direct or indirect funding to NPR and PBS.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mandate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Managers are juggling the dual burden of pressure from superiors and the well-being of their teams amid return-to-office mandates, massive layoffs, tariff threats and economic uncertainty.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
Other cases involve mandates to display the Ten Commandments in Louisiana classrooms and to place Bibles in Oklahoma schools.
—Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Verb
All levels of government should mandate that all communications occur only on secured devices, networks, and via secure and approved applications.
—Mark Minevich, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
The order mandates that the CPB revise its 2025 General Provisions to explicitly prohibit direct or indirect funding to NPR and PBS.
—Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 2 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mandate
Cite this Entry
“Mandate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandate. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mandate
1 of 2 noun
man·date
ˈman-ˌdāt 
1
: an order from a higher court to a lower court
2
a
: an authoritative command, instruction, or direction
b
: authorization or approval given to a representative especially by voters
accepted the mandate of the people
3
a
: a commission granted by the League of Nations to a member nation to administer a territory on its behalf
b
: a mandated territory
Legal Definition
mandate
1 of 2 noun
man·date
ˈman-ˌdāt
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
National Law Journal
b
: the authorization to act given by a constituency to its elected representative
mandate
2 of 2 transitive verb
mandated; mandating
: to make mandatory or required
the Pennsylvania Constitution mandates a criminal defendant's right to confrontation—National Law Journal
National Law JournalEtymology
Noun
Latin mandatum, from neuter of mandatus, past participle of mandare to entrust, enjoin, probably irregularly from manus hand + -dere to put
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