as in controlling
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as in ordering
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 dictating
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
The 23-year-old forward was the one with the ball in his hands, dictating actions, making decisions.
—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
20 June 2026
But there is no rule or contractual deadline dictating this has to be done before the NBA Draft gets underway on Tuesday.
—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Both men were experiencing mental health crises when they were shot, and the incidents sparked calls from community members for accountability, including new legislation dictating how police should respond during a mental health crisis.
—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
13 June 2026
Multiple bills have been introduced in Congress to rebuild college sports for this new era, dictating how athletes may or may not participate in sports, how they may be compensated, and how universities may or may not administer their athletic programs.
—
Sen. Rand Paul Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Recorded in Los Angeles, the Turks and Caicos, and France, KOBE credits the ambiance of each setting with dictating the mixtape’s production.
—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
12 June 2026
Swiss captain Granit Xhaka helped create the opening goal and spent the first half dictating tempo.
—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2026
Martinez has been dictating terms with a six-pitch mix that includes a four-seam fastball and sinker with an average velocity between 92 and 93.
—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
The technologies now dictating global economic competition and our national security are built on a foundation of mining.
—
Rich Nolan,
Boston Herald,
1 June 2026
Adjective
And these players were initially signed to help Forest become a side capable of retaining more possession and dictating games.
—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
The 23-year-old forward was the one with the ball in his hands, dictating actions, making decisions.
—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
According to Reuters, in the lead-up to SpaceX’s IPO Musk was dictating terms to Goldman Sachs and other banks.
—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
20 June 2026
But there is no rule or contractual deadline dictating this has to be done before the NBA Draft gets underway on Tuesday.
—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Both men were experiencing mental health crises when they were shot, and the incidents sparked calls from community members for accountability, including new legislation dictating how police should respond during a mental health crisis.
—
Emilia Otte,
Hartford Courant,
13 June 2026
Multiple bills have been introduced in Congress to rebuild college sports for this new era, dictating how athletes may or may not participate in sports, how they may be compensated, and how universities may or may not administer their athletic programs.
—
Sen. Rand Paul Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
Recorded in Los Angeles, the Turks and Caicos, and France, KOBE credits the ambiance of each setting with dictating the mixtape’s production.
—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
12 June 2026
Swiss captain Granit Xhaka helped create the opening goal and spent the first half dictating tempo.
—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 June 2026
Martinez has been dictating terms with a six-pitch mix that includes a four-seam fastball and sinker with an average velocity between 92 and 93.
—
Tom Layberger,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
The technologies now dictating global economic competition and our national security are built on a foundation of mining.
—
Rich Nolan,
Boston Herald,
1 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictating
Adjective
-
Versant will become a minority, non-controlling investor in the company.
-
ByteDance keeps a non-controlling stake to comply with federal law.
Verb
-
Rather than guessing how a frame might look, shoppers can use digital tools to get a better sense of fit and appearance before ordering.
-
The place was largely filled with Japanese families and folks in their late 20s, all ordering bowls of spaghetti infused with interesting flavors like cod roe, shiso leaves and seaweed.
Adjective
-
Or perhaps the Black policemen, who often watched the house without their white commanding officer, secretly sympathized with the uprising.
-
Moments after the Knicks completed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history in Game 4 — erasing a 29-point deficit to take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs — Stiller burst through the postgame interview room doors like the Kool-Aid Man.
Verb
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The city is also requesting $15 million in capital funds to help boost the housing initiative.
-
Service, whose office sits at the corner of 18th Street and Vine Street, said business owners have spent years requesting additional patrols and, at one point, pushed for dedicated funding to increase police presence in the district.
Adjective
-
The reasons behind this collapse of imperial power are complex, but a large role was played by various peoples who had formerly lived outside its borders.
-
But appeasement will only aid Xi Jinping’s imperial goals.
Verb
-
The warning came after a key naval information group had proposed alternative shipping corridors on Saturday, asking shipowners to consider transiting the strait along the southern route with their transponder signals on.
-
The luxury market typically tops out in the $30-million to $40-million range in Orange County, though some properties are aiming higher, including a San Juan Capistrano ranch asking $85 million and an 11,500-square-foot mansion in Newport Coast listed for $68 million.
Adjective
-
The passage is incoherent, yet, in conflating progressive reform with arrogant blind faith, it is perfectly suited to Vance’s cynical conservatism.
-
To no one’s surprise, Bonnie is immediately transfixed by her Lilypad (voiced by Greta Lee, whose arrogant smarm effectively threads the needle between Maya Hawke’s Anxiety and Regina George’s everything else).
Verb
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As our planet gets hotter, mandating hydration breaks and changing where, when and how sports are played will be necessary.
-
Prior to the 1960’s and 1970’s, federal rules mandating basic safety requirements like seat belts and airbags were virtually nonexistent.
Cite this Entry
“Dictating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictating. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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