self-regulate

verb

self-reg·​u·​late ˌself-ˈre-gyə-ˌlāt 

 also  -ˈrā-

self-regulated; self-regulating; self-regulates

1

intransitive : to regulate oneself or itself

allowing markets to self-regulate

… noted the overwhelming lack of public trust in the financial services industry's ability to self-regulate effectively …

—Sally Rose

The idea is that the kids learn how to manage and self-regulate.

—Cheyenne Derksen Schroeder

2

transitive : to control or govern (something) for or by oneself

… was hired by the motion picture industry to head up a new body to self-regulate the movies.

—Katharine Monk

the ability of the child to self-regulate her behavior

… a horse who is permitted to self-regulate his intake will eat only what his body needs.

—Juliet M. Getty

self-regulative

ˌself-ˈre-gyə-ˌlā-tiv 

 also  -ˈrā-

adjective

self-regulative processes

Examples of self-regulate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This self-regulating mechanism keeps the W-DEG’s performance stable even during heavy rainfall. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2025

These are fed through a hopper into the reactor vessel to produce a self-regulating fission reaction and are cooled by helium gas that carries off the heat to a heat exchanger to generate steam for electrical generators. —New Atlas, 20 Oct. 2025

Companies are expected to self-regulate, and many don’t disclose any testing at all. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025

As intelligent systems reshape work, those who can self-regulate, think clearly under pressure and evolve intentionally won’t just keep pace—they’ll define the future. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for self-regulate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate