dictating 1 of 2

adjective

as in controlling

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

dictating

2 of 2

verb

present participle of dictate
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 dictating
Adjective
As well as his tempo-dictating actions on the ball, Rodri also tops the list for counter-pressing wins among all players in this World Cup. — Mark Carey, New York Times, 18 July 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
Connecticut has joined a coalition of states suing over federal rules that protect national banks from state laws dictating how interest generated by mortgage escrow accounts is used. — P.r. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 13 Aug. 2026 The fashion apparel market once operated under long lead times with seasons dictating what shoppers saw in stores. — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026 On Sunday, Russia and Syria signed a memorandum of understanding dictating their military cooperation in the near future. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 11 Aug. 2026 Experts like Todd Wolfson warn against political control dictating university governance. — Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 There’s also the matter of velocity, which will be important to dictating his ceiling. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2026 Rubio said Washington sees its role not as dictating Venezuela’s future but as helping facilitate the country’s transition. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Aug. 2026 In 1922, when the river’s waters ⁠seemed inexhaustible, the seven states created a water-sharing compact dictating how much Upper and Lower Basin states receive. — Reuters, NBC news, 31 July 2026 Two years of dictating that everyone commute into work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays was hurting the morale as well as the productivity of many. — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictating
  1. controlling
  2. ordering
  3. commanding
  4. requesting
  5. imperial
  6. asking
  7. arrogant
  8. mandating
Adjective
  • Rivian, still a major non-controlling shareholder, factors into that roadmap too, since its growing fleet of on-road vehicles generates the driving data Also will eventually need to train its own autonomy systems.
    — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 19 Aug. 2026
  • This has impacted every aspect of his life — sleep, eating habits and his controlling attitude toward me.
    — Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 4 July 2026
Definition of controlling
Verb
  • My family got a slow start most days, ordering in-room breakfast and enjoying the gorgeous view from our balcony.
    — Nicole Chung, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
  • His wife, Tesse, was in the kitchen cooking lunch for a Metro worker ordering take-out.
    — Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of ordering
Adjective
  • Adrián Marín set up the play with his pass to Tiago as Orlando took what seemed to be a commanding lead in the second half.
    — Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Arendt comes most fully alive, though, when Meyer lets her own extravagant, commanding voice carry the story forward.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of commanding
Verb
  • Supermicro has also been subpoenaed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, with staff requesting documents related to customers, including the customer that was the subject of the allegations in the indictment.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Since the whistleblower complaints were filed, Ramsey claims city staff has retaliated against him by requesting extensive records concerning a police use-of-force incident from years prior and investigating several complaints against him.
    — James Wilkins, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of requesting
Adjective
  • Yet for Asian countries that endured Japanese imperial rule and expansion, Yasukuni remains a symbol of Japan’s militarism.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Japan’s defeat in the war ended its imperial ambitions shaped by sardines.
    — Pei-Hsu Lin, The Conversation, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of imperial
Verb
  • According to a new report from Axios, Rogers met with AIPAC’s Board Chair Michael Tuchin as the former congressman’s allies have been asking AIPAC to roll back its advertising in support of his Senate campaign.
    — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Now, some workers are chasing a seven-figure career, asking, Which jobs pay the most?
    — Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of asking
Adjective
  • As such, there is a tendency among such countries to view Europeans as arrogant and self-serving, perhaps even neo-colonialist, with a desire to at least maintain, or maybe even strengthen, their position of power.
    — Simon Chadwick, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • James, Lord Dalhousie, the arrogant and ruthless Governor General of British India, who had long coveted the riches of Punjab and the Koh-i-Noor, was triumphant.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of arrogant
Verb
  • Another law Kids and Car Safety supports is mandating that childcare providers contact parents if children do not show up as scheduled.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
  • This evolution has led to the realization that AI’s ROI doesn’t come from mandating AI tools or building a tokenmaxxing leaderboard.
    — Amrit Jassal, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of mandating

Browse Nearby Words

dictates
dictating
dictation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dictating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictating. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on dictating

Nglish: Translation of dictating for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All