policymaking

noun

pol·​i·​cy·​mak·​ing ˈpä-lə-sē-ˌmā-kiŋ 

variants or policy-making

: the act or practice of establishing policy

… Bloomberg described a world where cities, rather than nations, are the major players in both global competition and innovative policymaking …

—Rob Fischer

… leaked word … that all Iraq policymaking was being centralized at the White House …

—Michael Duffy et al.

—sometimes used before another noun

the policymaking process

The Fed's policymaking committee sets rates that serve as the benchmark for the interest rates charged on mortgages, car loans, credit cards, and certificates of deposit.

—Kevin G. Hall

The controller manages a state office of more than 1,400 workers and ensures tax dollars are efficiently and effectively spent. With a few exceptions, it is not a policymaking position.

—The East Bay Times (California)

Examples of policymaking in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Investors are hungry for more information regarding the chair's views on the economy, inflation pressures and the role of monetary policymaking. — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

The rise in yields, on a combination of concerns about inflation, Federal Reserve policymaking and outsize fiscal deficits, has kept mortgage rates elevated and poses a headwind to economic growth months before the November congressional election. — Christopher Anstey, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

New York isn’t the only place where the film influenced policymaking. — Vanessa Rampton, STAT, 5 Aug. 2026

Last summer, a moment of bipartisan pushback broke through the party-line policymaking that often dominates Washington. — Stephanie Hanes, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for policymaking

• aching
• baking
• braking
• breaking
• caking
• faking
• flaking
• making
• quaking
• raking
• shaking
• slaking