self-regulation

noun

self-reg·​u·​la·​tion ˌself-ˌre-gyə-ˈlā-shən 

-ˌre-gə-,

 also  -ˌrā-

plural self-regulations

: the act or condition or an instance of regulating oneself or itself: such as

a

: control or supervision from within instead of by an external authority

the online marketing industry's self-regulation of consumer privacy protections

also : a rule imposed in self-regulation

Banks were left to largely manage themselves, and establish industry-wide self-regulations …

—Kevin Plummer

According to the Federal Trade Commission, food marketing cannot be false, deceptive or unfair. But there are other, more specific, self-regulations out there for ads related to kids.

—Alexandra Sifferlin

b

: the bringing of oneself or itself into a state of order, method, or uniformity

self-regulation of an ecosystem

emotional self-regulation

Examples of self-regulation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, self-regulation is only one side of the coin. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025

Sperry said toy offerings can serve multiple functions: a social gesture to reinforce bonding, a play solicitation, or even a form of self-regulation during moments of high excitement or stress. —Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 June 2025

Movement, music, time outside, games with peers and activities like puzzles all help children build skills like self-regulation and executive function. —Claire Cain Miller, New York Times, 31 May 2025

Interacting with animals, and horses in particular, can serve as a bellwether and teach officers self-regulation. —Katja Ridderbusch, NPR, 26 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-regulation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration