as in ordered
to request the doing of by virtue of one's authority
dictated that the terms of surrender be negotiated by his senior staff
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Recent Examples of dictated
During the Obama administration, policies dictated that DOJ wouldn’t interfere with state laws allowing medical or recreational pot use, effectively discouraging prosecution for nonviolent users who weren’t involved in organized crime.
—
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Financial and practical concerns also dictated another decision by the county that neighbors objected to — to limit the new theater’s seating capacity to around 300 seats, given that the old Playhouse could in later years never fill its far-larger auditorium.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 8 May 2026
Wary of giving off the impression that its actions were being dictated by Kyiv, Russia continued attacks against Ukraine unabated, leading Zelensky to announce that the ceasefire was off.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 8 May 2026
Legal pathways should be clear and not dictated by arbitrary quotas or economic privilege.
—Linh Tat, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
Airlines’ decisions on where to offer flights were no longer dictated by the Civil Aeronautics Board, which managed routes and fares, compared to today’s Federal Aviation Administration, which is mostly concerned with air traffic and safety.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 4 May 2026
As far as campaign promotional regulations, the Academy dictated that screenings with Q&A sessions or panel discussions before nominations may now have up to two moderators instead of one moderator.
—Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 May 2026
This part of the rookie contract process is largely dictated by precedent.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Traders on predictions markets swap contracts of yes-or-no questions, and profits and losses are dictated by the market.
—Jay Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 9 May 2026
Financial and practical concerns also dictated another decision by the county that neighbors objected to — to limit the new theater’s seating capacity to around 300 seats, given that the old Playhouse could in later years never fill its far-larger auditorium.
—Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 8 May 2026
Wary of giving off the impression that its actions were being dictated by Kyiv, Russia continued attacks against Ukraine unabated, leading Zelensky to announce that the ceasefire was off.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 8 May 2026
Legal pathways should be clear and not dictated by arbitrary quotas or economic privilege.
—Linh Tat, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
Airlines’ decisions on where to offer flights were no longer dictated by the Civil Aeronautics Board, which managed routes and fares, compared to today’s Federal Aviation Administration, which is mostly concerned with air traffic and safety.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 4 May 2026
As far as campaign promotional regulations, the Academy dictated that screenings with Q&A sessions or panel discussions before nominations may now have up to two moderators instead of one moderator.
—Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 1 May 2026
This part of the rookie contract process is largely dictated by precedent.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Traders on predictions markets swap contracts of yes-or-no questions, and profits and losses are dictated by the market.
—Jay Cohen, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictated
Verb
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An investigator from the NTSB will be at Newark airport on Monday and United has been ordered to secure the cockpit voice recorder, as well as the flight data recorder for the investigation.—
Clara McMichael,
ABC News,
4 May 2026
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Gabehart’s actions likely qualified as misappropriation of trade secrets, according to Rodriguez, who ordered Gabehart to stop using JGR confidential information or trade secrets and to return materials in his possession.—
Chase Jordan
May 4,
Charlotte Observer,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The check was requested by a relative after friends and family had not heard from the victims, officials said.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
-
His defense attorneys argued media coverage has been largely prejudicial to Robinson and requested that cameras be excluded from the courtroom.—
Andi Babineau,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Andrew moved to Sandringham earlier this year after he was asked to vacate his home at the Royal Lodge in Windsor.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
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When asked why that’s been the case, Lakers players offered similar answers in the locker room.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dictated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictated. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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