dictates 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of dictate
as in orders
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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dictates

2 of 2

noun

plural of dictate

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dictates
Verb
Royal styling dictates that former wives of peers can keep their courtesy title by placing their first name before it. Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025 When that happens, state law dictates that the commissioner must either close the campus or take over the district. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025 No living being exists in a vacuum that dictates completely ideal circumstances. Mario Rodriguez, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2025 The primary standard relating to battery storage is NFPA 855, which dictates how to safely design, install, and operate battery projects. Erin Smith, Boston Herald, 22 Oct. 2025 Conventional wisdom dictates that the best way to stage a home is to depersonalize it. Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025 The index, which dictates the movements for many 401(k) accounts, is still near its all-time high set last week. Jason Ma, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025 The vote set up a potentially contentious series of negotiations with the House, which has loaded its version of the measure with a range of conservative social policy dictates that the Senate mostly avoided. Robert Jimison, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025 That policy dictates family is allowed to review the footage within 48 hours and then released to the general public within 15 days. David Clarey, jsonline.com, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
Our federal government is coercing institutions to follow its dictates on student admissions, curriculum and programs. George R. Boggs, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Oct. 2025 At first, the doctor’s sympathies would be with the family, who seemed helpless given their lack of autonomy and the dictates of their circumstances. Ayşegül Savaş, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2025 Devotees give their lives over to the dictates of their AI companions, and some even profess undying love to their digital counterparts, relationships that have led to tragedy. Book Marks october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025 As the trend dictates, bronze and smoky brown tones are blended onto the eyes, achieving a blurred effect that subtly highlights the glow. María Munsuri, Glamour, 21 Sep. 2025 The White House dictates; Puerto Rico enforces. Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 16 Sep. 2025 This will not only strengthen the UK’s position as a global leader in life sciences but also ensure that patients across the country can benefit from the best innovations at the pace they are needed – rather than at the pace bureaucracy dictates. Kath MacKay, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025 The department has stressed its policy dictates that officers do not ask people about their immigration status, and describes immigration enforcement as a federal responsibility. David Clarey, jsonline.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictates
Verb
  • The crew at Fireman Derek’s is cooking around the clock to pump out sweets for its three storefronts, plus Goldbelly orders that ship nationwide.
    Nila Do Simon, Southern Living, 22 Oct. 2025
  • In video released by the Ferguson Police department, a Missouri man orders his daughter, 6, to assault another child on the bus.
    Meriam Bouarrouj, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • During the shutdown, essential employees who are still working should continue to document their hours in accordance with special instructions from their agency's payroll provider, according to OPM.
    Melina Khan, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
  • When prompt instructions encouraged models to maximize rewards or hit specific financial goals, irrationality increased.
    Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The federal government never requests that consumers pay fees or provide personal or financial information in order to distribute a payment, as that information would likely already be gathered during the application process.
    Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 24 Oct. 2025
  • One claim, submitted in 2023, requests damages in connection with the DOJ's investigation of interference in the 2016 presidential election by Russia and potential connections to Trump's campaign that year, the Times said.
    Dan Mangan, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Ever since, as the Taliban returned to power, once again issuing edicts to suppress women and girls, the clinic and its 34-year-old midwife Atifa have continued to provide a lifeline for mothers and young children.
    Elise Blanchard, Time, 21 Aug. 2025
  • One of the fundamental edicts of the [original Naked Gun creators] Zucker Brothers was you played against the comedy.
    Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Verghese estimated the world requires 593 million hectares of land—which is equivalent to twice the size of India—every year for crop cultivation at current productivity growth rates to meet that challenge.
    Nino Paoli, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
  • The Minnesota Vikings are liable to act quickly in their effort to replace backup quarterback Carson Wentz, who will miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury that requires surgery to repair.
    Max Dible, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Congress could hold hearings to examine whether senior officials disregarded judicial directives or retaliated against career lawyers.
    Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The third film in the franchise follows Ares (Jared Leto), an intelligent computer program who begins to question his orders and directives from CEO Julian Dillinger (Evan Peters), setting him on a collision course into the real world to find Eve Kim (Greta Lee), the current CEO of Encom.
    Leia Mendoza, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Halladay said one of his priorities is to get rid of time for time, a policy that mandates a minimum number of instructional hours per year, rather than a specific number of days.
    Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The ultra-rare Mercedes-McLaren SLR is a timeless icon, one that almost mandates being clad a silver hue.
    Sean Evans, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • This dark side to Gen Z’s millennial backlash and desire to relive the turn of the millennium is showing signs of mutating in disturbing and unprecedented directions.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The majority of cheesecake recipes call for the use of a springform pan in the directions.
    Molly Allen, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Dictates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictates. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

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