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
Boston Public Schools laid out a new policy to tackle emerging issues of artificial intelligence in schools for the School Committee’s consideration, taking aim at regulating use in classrooms, technological literacy training and addressing harm to student through tools like deepfakes.
—
Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 7 May 2026
Polis is often skeptical of bills that regulate tech companies or products, and that skepticism has butted up against Democratic lawmakers’ plans in the past.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 7 May 2026
The case sparked a congressional investigation and a national conversation about the presence of small, independent labs and the lack of laws regulating them.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
To ensure this new technology is safe for the public, and to mitigate the inevitable economic ruptures, the government needs to step in and regulate it in the public interest.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for regulate
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Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 7 May 2026
Polis is often skeptical of bills that regulate tech companies or products, and that skepticism has butted up against Democratic lawmakers’ plans in the past.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 7 May 2026
The case sparked a congressional investigation and a national conversation about the presence of small, independent labs and the lack of laws regulating them.
—Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
To ensure this new technology is safe for the public, and to mitigate the inevitable economic ruptures, the government needs to step in and regulate it in the public interest.
—Elizabeth Shackelford, Twin Cities, 7 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for regulate
Cite this Entry
“Regulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regulate. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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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