regulate

verb

reg·​u·​late ˈre-gyə-ˌlāt 

also ˈrā-

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

regulative

ˈre-gyə-ˌlā-tiv 

also ˈrā-

adjective

regulatory

ˈre-gyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē 

also ˈrā-

adjective

Synonyms of regulate

• control
• contain
• curb
• restrain
• keep
• measure
• govern
• suppress
• stifle

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

Hundreds of those grants were later reinstated when a federal judge ruled that the slap-dash nature of the terminations violated the Administrative Procedures Act, which regulates how agencies are supposed to change policies. — Anil Oza, STAT, 17 Sep. 2026

The episode marked the latest instance of Congress trying and failing to advance AI legislation amid a growing debate over whether, if at all, to regulate the technology that industry leaders warn may pose doomsday threats to humanity. — Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 16 Sep. 2026

But the feature has taken on a new prominence as young people look to regulate and take more control over their relationship with social media and how their content appears online. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 16 Sep. 2026

Tech leaders took opposing positions on regulating AI, pointing to a growing rift in the industry. — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Late Latin regulatus, past participle of regulare, from Latin regula rule

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing regulate

• re-regulate
• self-regulate

Rhymes for regulate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids 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

-ˌlāt-ər

noun

regulatory

-lə-ˌtōr-ē 

-ˌtȯr-

adjective

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

regulatory

-lə-ˌtōr-ē, -ˌtȯr- 

adjective

Legal Definition

regulate

transitive verb

reg·​u·​late

regulated; regulating

1

: to govern or direct according to rule

2

a

: to bring under the control of law

b

: to make regulations for or concerning