regulate

verb

reg·​u·​late ˈre-gyə-ˌlāt How to pronounce regulate (audio)
 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 How to pronounce regulate (audio)
 also  ˈrā-
adjective
regulatory
ˈre-gyə-lə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce regulate (audio)
 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 The failure to properly regulate immigration is leading the United States to neglect its current biggest geopolitical opportunity: consolidating North American cooperation. Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 4 Dec. 2023 Many people don’t consider that their vacation destination may not have the same rules around safety equipment as their home city or state, or that homes rented on sites like Airbnb could be regulated differently than hotels. Ben Goggin, NBC News, 30 Nov. 2023 The repeal of those old laws followed so swiftly by the imposition of other ones regulating speech suggests Ireland retains its faith in the power of moralizing censorship to manage or disguise political failures. The Editors, National Review, 29 Nov. 2023 Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg News A Journal editorial notes that Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) has finally acknowledged the disappointing results from ObamaCare’s attempt to reduce prices by regulating insurer profits. James Freeman, WSJ, 27 Nov. 2023 Because the Hudson River is regulated, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation were required to greenlight construction plans. Alexandra E. Petri, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2023 Specialized but affordable satellites have potential to make surprising discoveries and create new opportunities both for businesses and for government agencies that regulate businesses. IEEE Spectrum, 25 Nov. 2023 But despite their low profile, mosses, which Kimmerer has compared to forests in miniature, complete with canopies of single-cell-thick leaves and diverse populations of microscopic organisms, play an outsize role in our ecosystem, regulating water tables and soil temperature. Jenny Comita, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023 On Monday, Reuters reported that France, Germany and Italy had reached an agreement on how AI should be regulated, a move expected to accelerate negotiations at the European level. Reuters, Fortune Europe, 21 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'regulate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of regulate was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near regulate

Cite this Entry

“Regulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regulate. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

regulate

verb
reg·​u·​late ˈreg-yə-ˌlāt How to pronounce regulate (audio)
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 How to pronounce regulate (audio)
-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 How to pronounce regulate (audio)
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 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

More from Merriam-Webster on regulate

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