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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in instructions
a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned
a starchily worded dictate from on high concerning the company's dress code
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dictates
Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 May 2026
Tradition dictates that a major leaguer on a rehab assignment picks up the tab for the postgame spread, which means the other minor leaguers get a better meal than usual.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 2 May 2026
But where once engineers could use any raw ingredients at their disposal to make parts with almost supernatural structural abilities, the climate crisis dictates a change of strategy.
—Caitlin Kennedy, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2026
That’s because the federal tax code, in section 280E, dictates that companies working with Schedule I or Schedule II substances are prohibited from deducting many standard business expenses.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Homes here are often held for decades and frequently pass quietly, introduced to the market when timing, rather than necessity, dictates a change.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2026
If the formula dictates that a team is eligible for more than four picks, the four highest selections are awarded.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2026
The budget rule dictates that when oil goes above a certain price, excess revenues are saved in a rainy-day fund for use in leaner times, to smooth out volatility.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026
However, Chapa noted the council still dictates policy and could create any new department at its discretion.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2026
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 2 May 2026
The project’s financing dictates that the market-rate tower has separate ownership from the affordable segment, Kingston said.
—Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 2 Apr. 2026
This cut comes with dictates—jaw-length or shorter, most often paired with bangs—but also leaves room for personalized play.
—Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 1 Apr. 2026
The girls decide to go and look for a traditional skirt for Qihuo to commemorate this rite of passage, as tradition dictates.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
There is perhaps no sport that is more in thrall to the dictates of orthodoxy than baseball, which is so steeped in tradition that a visit to the ballpark is often a bit like hopping into a time machine.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Beloved ’s revenant defies the dictates of realism according to which a character is a bounded individual.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
Local control ensures that voting reflects the needs of the community, not the dictates of a federal bureaucracy.
—Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
The deregulatory agenda, the most significant since President Ronald Reagan’s, has begun to liberate households and businesses from the dictates of Washington’s bureaucracy.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Verb
Standard protocol dictates Allen be held under suicide watch for the first 72 hours while he is assessed.
—Kerry Breen, CBS News, 3 May 2026
Tradition dictates that a major leaguer on a rehab assignment picks up the tab for the postgame spread, which means the other minor leaguers get a better meal than usual.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 2 May 2026
But where once engineers could use any raw ingredients at their disposal to make parts with almost supernatural structural abilities, the climate crisis dictates a change of strategy.
—Caitlin Kennedy, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2026
That’s because the federal tax code, in section 280E, dictates that companies working with Schedule I or Schedule II substances are prohibited from deducting many standard business expenses.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
Homes here are often held for decades and frequently pass quietly, introduced to the market when timing, rather than necessity, dictates a change.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2026
If the formula dictates that a team is eligible for more than four picks, the four highest selections are awarded.
—Daniel Popper, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2026
The budget rule dictates that when oil goes above a certain price, excess revenues are saved in a rainy-day fund for use in leaner times, to smooth out volatility.
—J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026
However, Chapa noted the council still dictates policy and could create any new department at its discretion.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
Regulatory prescription shapes the work itself—banking’s SR 11-7 dictates model risk management in detail, while retail has almost no sector-specific AI regulation.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 2 May 2026
The project’s financing dictates that the market-rate tower has separate ownership from the affordable segment, Kingston said.
—Nick Wooten, Dallas Morning News, 2 Apr. 2026
This cut comes with dictates—jaw-length or shorter, most often paired with bangs—but also leaves room for personalized play.
—Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 1 Apr. 2026
The girls decide to go and look for a traditional skirt for Qihuo to commemorate this rite of passage, as tradition dictates.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
There is perhaps no sport that is more in thrall to the dictates of orthodoxy than baseball, which is so steeped in tradition that a visit to the ballpark is often a bit like hopping into a time machine.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Beloved ’s revenant defies the dictates of realism according to which a character is a bounded individual.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
Local control ensures that voting reflects the needs of the community, not the dictates of a federal bureaucracy.
—Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
The deregulatory agenda, the most significant since President Ronald Reagan’s, has begun to liberate households and businesses from the dictates of Washington’s bureaucracy.
—Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictates
Verb
-
Federal officials have sent a letter that orders the corporate owner in the public-private partnership at Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex to bring an engineer on site, restore the powerhouse operations and provide an assessment of the conditions.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, supreme commander of the Luftwaffe, Hitler’s second in command, and the highest-ranking surviving Nazi leader, steps out of the car, stands at attention to announce his surrender, and orders the soldiers to carry his bags.—
Alice Kaplan,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Road closures remain in place Road closures continue across portions of Echols and Clinch counties near the Pineland Road fire, and officials are urging drivers to follow all barricades and instructions from law enforcement.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
4 May 2026
-
The American Frugal Housewife (1829), A Treatise on Domestic Economy (1842), and The American Woman’s Home (1869) offered instructions on everything from bread-baking to furniture to babies, all wrapped up with a submit-to-your-husband bow.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The lawsuit requests the clinic undertake free genetic testing for all patients and children whose birth resulted from embryo implantation throughout the last five years, the amount of time the clinic had the couple's embryos in its possession.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Smith said that the order can be modified at a later date if the victim requests contact.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
My worry is edicts from Hartford.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
While many edicts are necessary to protect public safety, many more are redundant, wasteful and anti-competitive, piling on unnecessary costs and stymieing innovation.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Protecting these landmarks requires collaboration among civic leaders, developers, property owners, architects, preservationists and engaged citizens.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Black spot requires six to seven hours of continuous moisture to initiate infection.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Noun
-
The office also handles business registrations, oversees the state archives and runs a potpourri of other state programs, like commissioning notaries public and maintaining a registry for advance care directives.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Bass has previously announced directives regarding strategic LAPD deployment, including in March after a brawl broke out in connection to a street takeover near upscale apartments in downtown.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
My opponent wants to reinstate Measure J, which mandates that 10% of county revenue go to anti-incarceration programs and explicitly prohibits spending on law enforcement or detention.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
-
That law mandates records be released unless particular exemptions apply.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Staff were stationed throughout, giving runners directions, passing out water and cheering us on.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Regular service on the Tehran–Moscow route will operate on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays in both directions, IRNA reported, citing officials with Mahan Air.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dictates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictates. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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