regulate

verb

reg·u·late | \ ˈre-gyə-ˌlāt also ˈrā-

regulated; regulating

Definition of regulate

transitive verb

1a : to govern or direct according to rule

b(1) : to bring under the control of law or constituted authority

(2) : to make regulations for or concerning regulate the industries of a country

2 : to bring order, method, or uniformity to regulate one's habits

3 : to fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of regulate the pressure of a tire

Other Words from regulate Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about regulate

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Other Words from regulate

regulative \ ˈre-gyə-ˌlā-tiv

also ˈrā- \ adjective

regulatory \ ˈre-gyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē

also ˈrā- \ adjective

Examples of regulate in a Sentence

The dam regulates the flow of water into the river. We need better laws to regulate the content of the Internet. Laws have been made to regulate working conditions. The government regulates how much lead may be found in our water supply. The department regulates foreign trade.

Recent Examples on the Web

One widely accepted definition of socialism is a political and economic philosophy advocating that the entire means of production, distribution and exchange are owned or regulated by the community as a whole, i.e., the state. — WSJ, "Is Socialism the Bright Future Once Again?," 25 Feb. 2019 Notably, mobile voice is regulated as a Title II service, and that isn't preventing carriers from implementing anti-robocall features. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "FCC’s robotext crackdown could block legal messages, critics say [Updated]," 12 Dec. 2018 Those were the totals from seven different legal entities regulated by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. — Harold Brubaker, Philly.com, "Quirks in the reporting of executive pay at health insurers," 6 July 2018 According to Jow, there is no standard dye formulation and that are a variety of dyes out there being used, some of which contain preservatives that aren’t regulated. — Audrey Noble, Harper's BAZAAR, "What is Eyebrow Tinting, Anyway?," 1 Feb. 2019 And while melatonin for the most part is okay for adults, the FDA does not regulate supplements for safety or efficacy. — Caroline Picard, Good Housekeeping, "What You Need to Know About OTC Sleep Aids, According to Neurologists," 30 Jan. 2019 There’s been serious talk of limiting many Google services, not just regulating its search engine — including discussion of breaking up the company. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, "The long, tortured quest to make Google unbiased," 6 Dec. 2018 Our attention is being captured by devices rather than being voluntarily regulated. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "Is our constant use of digital technologies affecting our brain health? We asked 11 experts.," 29 Nov. 2018 Such issues will be taken up once the businesses are regulated, Madison said. — Megan Henry, Indianapolis Star, "Hundreds of electric scooters invade downtown Indianapolis; some rejoice, others scratch their heads," 1 July 2018

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