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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 (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 same process of contract making, though it also could be used more generally for any means of making a contract or agreement. The "to specify as a condition or requirement" meaning of stipulate also dates to the 17th century, and is the sense of the word most often encountered in current use.
Synonyms
Examples of stipulate in a Sentence
Tomohiko Taniguchi, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024
Despite the increase in jobs caused by the industry’s growth, critics warn that fast fashion stipulates a ‘throwaway’ culture, which has a significant negative impact on the environment and human rights.
—Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
In the case of a second-place tie in a primary election, California elections code stipulates that both candidates appear on the general election ballot along with the first-place winner.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
That’s more than the $2.5 million that was stipulated in new head coach Spencer Danielson’s contract, but that figure is more of a minimum than a limit, a spokesperson for Boise State told the Idaho Statesman.
—Ron Counts, Idaho Statesman, 2 Apr. 2024
Getting it through the Arizona Legislature required compromises from election officials — including one that stipulates counties must count the number of early ballots received at each of their voting sites and report those figures to the public on election night.
—Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 26 Mar. 2024
This is also based on a procedure that was published by the Israeli Ministry of Health stipulating in what manner detainees would receive medical attention in those facilities—a procedure that disregards very basic ethical standards of health care.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2024
The Paris games have also cut a special deal with the electric utility stipulating that there be enough wind and solar energy in the grid to produce all the energy that the games consume.
—Catherine Porter, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024
Congress also stipulated that the minimum bid at auctions for drilling leases should be raised from $2 per acre to $10 per acre.
—Coral Davenport, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Daniel Funke, USA TODAY, 9 Aug. 2021
The Browns are currently working through protocols in the wake of new NFL guidelines that stipulate fans must remain 20 feet from players at all times.
—cleveland, 20 June 2021
To address this, some schools were willing stipulate achievements on the assumption that games were played.
—Erick Smith, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2021
There are some interesting financial implications in the contract that stipulate cancellations of games could lead to payment of $500,000 of the canceling teams.
—Sam Blum, Dallas News, 11 Aug. 2020
The terms of that agreement stipulate partners can withdraw early without financial penalty after giving 30-day notice.
—oregonlive, 19 June 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stipulate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stipulate
Cite this Entry
“Stipulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stipulate. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
stipulate
verb
Louisiana Civil CodeNational Law JournalLuna v. Meinke, 844 F. Supp. 1284 (1994)West v. Bank of Commerce & Trusts, 167 F.2d 664 (1948)National Law JournalVerb
Latin stipulatus, past participle of stipulari to exact (as from a prospective debtor) a formal guarantee when making an oral contract
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