regulate
verb
reg·u·late
ˈre-gyə-ˌlāt 
also ˈrā-
regulated; regulating
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
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
Unlike medications, supplements are not regulated by the FDA.
—
Merve Ceylan, Health, 8 July 2025
Camps nationwide are regulated in a number of ways in order to prevent tragedies.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 8 July 2025
Sullivan and other hemp advocates, meanwhile, want to put advertising regulations in a bill this year that regulates and legalizes their industry.
—Ray Stern, AZCentral.com, 6 July 2025
Water penetration is slow, its depth regulated by the length of time the system is on.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for regulate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Merve Ceylan, Health, 8 July 2025
Camps nationwide are regulated in a number of ways in order to prevent tragedies.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 8 July 2025
Sullivan and other hemp advocates, meanwhile, want to put advertising regulations in a bill this year that regulates and legalizes their industry.
—Ray Stern, AZCentral.com, 6 July 2025
Water penetration is slow, its depth regulated by the length of time the system is on.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for regulate
Cite this Entry
“Regulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regulate. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
regulate
verb
reg·u·late
ˈreg-yə-ˌlāt
regulated; regulating
1
a
: to govern or direct according to rule
b
: to bring under the control of authority
regulate prices
2
: to bring order or method to
regulate one's habits
3
: to fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of
regulate the pressure of a tire
the brain regulates the heartbeat
regulator
noun
-ˌlāt-ər
Etymology
from Latin regulatus, past participle of regulare "to regulate, direct," from regula "a rule, straightedge" — related to rail entry 1, regent, rule
Medical Definition
regulate
transitive verb
reg·u·late
ˈreg-yə-ˌlāt
regulated; regulating
1
: to control or direct according to rule or law
regulate the testing of experimental drugs
2
: to fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of
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