promulgate

verb

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pro·mul·gate | \ ˈprä-məl-ˌgāt

; prō-ˈməl-, prə-ˈməl-, ˈprō-(ˌ)məl-

promulgated; promulgating

Definition of promulgate

transitive verb

1 : to make (an idea, belief, etc.) known to many people by open declaration : proclaim … the huge meeting served primarily as the occasion on which to promulgate the official doctrine …— Roger Shattuck From the beginning our objective has been to develop and promulgate new models for the calculus-based introductory course.— John S. Rigden et al.

2a : to make known or public the terms of (a proposed law) The law was promulgated in February 1993.

b : to put (a law or rule) into action or force … more than 200 colleges and universities have promulgated behavioral codes that punish various forms of harassment …— Ken Myers

Other Words from promulgate Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about promulgate

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Other Words from promulgate

promulgation \ ˌprä-məl-ˈgā-shən

; ˌprō-(ˌ)məl- , (ˌ)prō-ˌməl- \ noun

promulgator \ ˈprä-məl-ˌgā-tər

; prō-ˈməl- , prə-ˈməl- , ˈprō-(ˌ)məl- \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for promulgate

declare, announce, proclaim, promulgate mean to make known publicly. declare implies explicitness and usually formality in making known. the referee declared the contest a draw announce implies the declaration of something for the first time. announced their engagement at a party proclaim implies declaring clearly, forcefully, and authoritatively. the president proclaimed a national day of mourning promulgate implies the proclaiming of a dogma, doctrine, or law. promulgated an edict of religious toleration

Did You Know?

The origin of promulgate is a bit murky, or perhaps we should say "milky." It comes from Latin promulgatus, which in turn derives from pro-, meaning "forward," and -mulgare, a form that is probably related to the verb mulgēre, meaning "to milk" or "to extract." Mulgēre is an ancestor of the English word emulsion ("mixture of mutually insoluble liquids"), and it is also related to the Old English word that became milk itself. Like its synonyms declare, announce, and proclaim, promulgate means to make known publicly. It particularly implies the proclaiming of a dogma, doctrine, or law.

Examples of promulgate in a Sentence

Her ideas have been widely promulgated on the Internet. The law was promulgated in April 1988.

Recent Examples on the Web The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission shall promulgate rules establishing a big foot hunting season. — Andrew Daniels, Popular Mechanics, "Major New Legislation Calls for Bigfoot Hunting Season," 21 Jan. 2021 The temporary injunction handed down by the Supreme Court was very important and clips Gov. Cuomo’s ability to promulgate offensive orders unreasonably restrictive of religious rights. — WSJ, "The Court, Coronavirus and the Constitution," 2 Dec. 2020 Subsequently, the Board may promulgate regulations and issue guidance, where appropriate. — Kathleen Pender, SFChronicle.com, "Prop. 19 passes, but questions about California property tax measure remain," 12 Nov. 2020 The agency was in the process of making one under the Obama administration, but federal workplace safety rules take years to promulgate, and efforts were paused after President Donald Trump took office in January 2017. — NBC News, "Lack of oversight and transparency leave Amazon employees in the dark on Covid-19," 30 Sep. 2020 Knowing that there are students in my very own college who promulgate such offensive views is unsettling and has become a realization of my own anxiety that surfaced in the early days of the pandemic. — Michael Nguyen-truong, Scientific American, "We Must Confront Anti-Asian Racism in Science," 22 Sep. 2020 Using these schools as an example, Alito illustrated how the Title VII revisions could potentially present a problem for educators seeking to promulgate a faith. — Nicholas Rowan, Washington Examiner, "Supreme Court decision ignites religious liberty battle," 15 June 2020 In Canada, that kind of denial has been easier to promulgate with its position next to the U.S., where racial divides often rage to the surface. — Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, "‘Say Their Names’: Why the George Floyd protests resonate globally," 10 June 2020 It could be promulgated in Hong Kong as early as late June. — The Economist, "Rule by fear China’s national-security bill for Hong Kong is an attempt to terrify," 28 May 2020

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