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
Breakfast and lunch are included and made with ingredients dictated by the season and the ocean’s bounty.
—
Kristy Tolley, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2026
Alyssa Thomas dictated the proceedings with her playmaking, tallying nine assists to go along with her 20 points in 26 minutes.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 9 May 2026
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
Kristy Tolley, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2026
Alyssa Thomas dictated the proceedings with her playmaking, tallying nine assists to go along with her 20 points in 26 minutes.
—Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 9 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictated
Verb
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The man continued moving around inside the fountain even as police ordered him to get out, according to the outlet.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
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The court also ordered them to pay Djena nearly three hundred thousand dollars in restitution.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Verb
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City officials requested to extend X Street’s lease about three to five years, wrote Caltrans spokesperson Dennis Keaton.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
-
Brown’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, requested that Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Marisa Tinkler Mendez hold Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu in contempt of court after Nantambu did not appear for a Zoom deposition on Wednesday.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
When this happens, passengers are asked to dump their drinks out in a dedicated dumping facility or throw the whole thing away into a trash can.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
17 May 2026
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Since radios are often found in the same rooms as sofas, the man asked at what speed sofa waves travelled.—
Weike Wang,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dictated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictated. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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