stipulate

verb

stip·u·late | \ˈsti-pyə-ˌlāt

stipulated; stipulating

Definition of stipulate

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to make an agreement or covenant to do or forbear something : contract

2 : to demand an express term in an agreement —used with for

transitive verb

1 : to specify as a condition or requirement (as of an agreement or offer)

2 : to give a guarantee of

stipulate

adjective

stip·u·late | \ˈsti-pyə-lət

Definition of stipulate (Entry 2 of 2)

: having stipules

Other Words from stipulate Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about stipulate

Keep scrolling for more

Did You Know?

Verb

Like many terms used in the legal profession, "stipulate" has its roots in Latin. It derives from "stipulatus," the past participle of "stipulari," a verb meaning "to demand a guarantee (as from a prospective debtor)." "Stipulate" has been a part of the English language since the 17th century. In Roman law, oral contracts were deemed valid only if they followed a proper question-and-answer format; "stipulate" was sometimes used specifically of this process of contract making, though it also could be used more generally for any means of making a contract or agreement. The "specify as a condition or requirement" sense of the word also dates from the 17th century, and it is the sense that is most often encountered in current use.

Examples of stipulate in a Sentence

Verb

The cease-fire was stipulated by the treaty. The rules stipulate that players must wear uniforms.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

That big financial footprint gives them some power to stipulate conditions for accepting the grant money. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "Europe has a plan to force academic publishers to make research free to read," 24 Sep. 2018 Facebook’s internal policies stipulate that anyone with a conflict like this can’t work on evaluating a potential acquisition deal for their own investment, a spokesperson said. — Kurt Wagner, Recode, "Facebook has acquired Redkix to build better messaging features into its Slack competitor," 26 July 2018 One rule that was particularly pertinent this year stipulated that bars must be open at the time of the ceremony to be considered—a feat that this year’s overall winner, Dandelyan, only just managed. — Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, "This Is Officially the Best Bar in the World," 4 Oct. 2018 The new electoral code stipulated that parties could not send female candidates exclusively to losing districts. — Magda Hinojosa, Washington Post, "Women won big in Mexico’s elections — taking nearly half the legislature’s seats. Here’s why.," 11 July 2018 Initial terms stipulated the rebels relinquish their heavy weapons. — Nabih Bulos, latimes.com, "More than 160,000 displaced as violence in southern Syria continues," 30 June 2018 Regular legislative review: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act stipulated that the Library of Congress revisit the law’s exceptions every two years, to account for changing technologies and emergent needs. — Tarleton Gillespie, WIRED, "How Social Networks Set the Limits of What We Can Say Online," 26 June 2018 In 2007, regulations stipulated that all new towers over 30 meters, or nearly 100 feet, should have sprinklers, but the rules did not apply to older buildings like Grenfell Tower, built in the 1970s. — New York Times, "A Year on, Pain and Anger Still Linger Over Grenfell," 13 June 2018 However, the Trump administration stipulated Canada had to agree to the sunset clause. — Paul Vieira, WSJ, "Trump, Trudeau Claim Progress on Nafta," 8 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stipulate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about stipulate

Listen to Our Podcast about stipulate

Dictionary Entries near stipulate

stipulative definition

stipule

Statistics for stipulate

Last Updated

1 Dec 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for stipulate

The first known use of stipulate was circa 1624

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for stipulate

stipulate

verb

English Language Learners Definition of stipulate

: to demand or require (something) as part of an agreement

See the full definition for stipulate in the English Language Learners Dictionary

stipulate

verb

stip·u·late | \ˈsti-pyə-ˌlāt

stipulated; stipulating

Legal Definition of stipulate

intransitive verb

1 : to make an agreement or covenant about something (as damages)

2 : to demand a particular promise in an agreement —used with for may…assume or stipulate for obligations of all kinds — Louisiana Civil Code

3 : to agree respecting an aspect of legal proceedings —used with to stipulated to a dismissal of the claim with prejudice — National Law Journal pleaded guilty to the charge of battery and stipulated to the underlying facts — Luna v. Meinke, 844 F. Supp. 1284 (1994)

transitive verb

1 : to specify especially as a condition or requirement of an agreement parties may not stipulate the invalidity of statutes or ordinances — West v. Bank of Commerce & Trusts, 167 F.2d 664 (1948) the contract stipulated that the lessor was responsible for maintenance within a stipulated period of time

2 : to establish (procedure or evidence) by agreement during a proceeding defendant stipulated that evidence was sufficient to support his conspiracy conviction — National Law Journal based on stipulated facts