regulate

verb reg·u·late \ ˈre-gyə-ˌlāt also ˈrā- \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

regulated; regulating

transitive verb

1 a : 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

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regulative

play \ˈre-gyə-ˌlā-tiv also ˈrā-\ adjective

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regulatory

play \ˈre-gyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē also ˈrā-\ adjective

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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 of regulate from the Web

Weld said his advocacy will likely find appeal among conservatives who champion state laws to regulate issues without federal interference.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "John Boehner was a longtime opponent of marijuana reform. Here's what changed his mind," 11 Apr. 2018
Koch was awarded a $1 million grant from the American Heart Association this week to explore the heart’s apparent ability to regulate the production of fat.

— tom avril, Philly.com, "Temple doctor wins $1 million award to study how heart 'talks' to fat," 4 Apr. 2018
This means the females experienced less stress from trying to regulate their body temperatures.

— National Geographic, "Famous Japanese Snow Monkeys Take Baths to Lower Stress," 4 Apr. 2018
In the 19th century, after all, there was no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate the advertising claims of health products.

— jon kelvey, Smithsonian, "How Advertising Shaped the First Opioid Epidemic," 3 Apr. 2018
The state legislature recently introduced bills to regulate the industry, including Bill 108, which would require additional registration.

— patrick sisson, Curbed, "In Hawaii, 1 of every 24 homes is a vacation rental," 2 Apr. 2018
Naperville City Council members will begin discussions Tuesday on how, or if, to regulate the pedal party bikes, which are the size of large SUVs and, depending on variation, can seat up to 16 people.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Pedal pub regulation talks go to Naperville City Council on Tuesday," 30 Mar. 2018
The real question is about America’s unwillingness to regulate the gun industry and the NRA’s ability to escape the same scrutiny as entities in similarly dangerous fields of commerce.

— michael harriot, The Root, "The NRA Is a Terrorist Organization," 15 Feb. 2018
By asking preemptively for regulatory dispensation, Sidewalk is making clear that the Toronto city government may not know enough to regulate its own fate, at least not right now.

— molly sauter, The Atlantic, "Google’s Guinea-Pig City," 13 Feb. 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.