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
Rob Fischer… leaked word … that all Iraq policymaking was being centralized at the White House …—Michael Duffy et al.
—sometimes used before another nounMichael Duffy et al.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
Kevin G. HallThe 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)
The East Bay Times (California)Examples of policymaking in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Elevating their expertise and fortifying their decades-long involvement in the process of independent evaluation and guidance is critical to restore public trust in federal policymaking.
—Jerome Adams, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026
Republican senators had also grown weary of some of the DHS secretary's policymaking decisions.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
Over the past decades, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has only followed the supreme leader’s guidelines, while presidents in office have had almost zero say in the regime's international policymaking.
—Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
In 2014, political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page observed that the public has little influence over the policies our government adopts as policymaking is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for policymaking
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.
Jerome Adams, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026
Republican senators had also grown weary of some of the DHS secretary's policymaking decisions.
—Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
Over the past decades, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has only followed the supreme leader’s guidelines, while presidents in office have had almost zero say in the regime's international policymaking.
—Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
In 2014, political scientists Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page observed that the public has little influence over the policies our government adopts as policymaking is dominated by powerful business organizations and a small number of affluent Americans.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for policymaking
Cite this Entry
“Policymaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/policymaking. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
