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
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
But the class divisions already dictating almost every aspect of higher education—from admissions to funding to reputation—will likely deepen.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 19 May 2026
Marseille’s bouillabaisse follows a 1980 charter dictating which fish can go in the pot.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026
Selecting that is always among the most difficult parts in his process, Cerrudo said, because music carries such weight in dictating the identity of a dance.
—Liz Rothaus Bertrand, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026
Connecticut became the first state to pass a speed limit law, dictating that no motor vehicle could exceed 12 mph in cities or 15 mph outside city limits.
—USA Today, 6 May 2026
There is a trend in the NFL of teams dipping their toes into two-tight-end sets, dictating specific personnel packages for defenses.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 4 May 2026
To secure three points, Orlando must strike early and prevent Miami from dictating the tempo.
—Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 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
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
But the class divisions already dictating almost every aspect of higher education—from admissions to funding to reputation—will likely deepen.
—Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 19 May 2026
Marseille’s bouillabaisse follows a 1980 charter dictating which fish can go in the pot.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026
Selecting that is always among the most difficult parts in his process, Cerrudo said, because music carries such weight in dictating the identity of a dance.
—Liz Rothaus Bertrand, Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026
Connecticut became the first state to pass a speed limit law, dictating that no motor vehicle could exceed 12 mph in cities or 15 mph outside city limits.
—USA Today, 6 May 2026
There is a trend in the NFL of teams dipping their toes into two-tight-end sets, dictating specific personnel packages for defenses.
—Alec Lewis, New York Times, 4 May 2026
To secure three points, Orlando must strike early and prevent Miami from dictating the tempo.
—Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictating
Adjective
-
Versant will become a minority, non-controlling investor in the company.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
2 June 2026
-
ByteDance keeps a non-controlling stake to comply with federal law.—
Jon Markman,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Worth ordering something to eat, too?—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
-
The survey also found majority support in all parties for government interventions including testing additives for safety before they can be included in food products, banning artificial dyes, requiring warning labels, and ordering companies to reduce the amount of sugar and salt in their foods.—
Sarah Todd,
STAT,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento took a commanding lead in the race for the District 2 seat on the OC Board of Supervisors as results were released following the close of polls Tuesday night.—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
3 June 2026
-
Ellis is the commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson in Colorado.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The company filed a ticket a week before work began, requesting that gas lines be properly marked.—
Brian New,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
-
Yes, and this study was motivated again by increasing reports from our blood bank that people were calling and requesting blood from donors who specifically did not receive the Covid-19 vaccination.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
The unintended consequence was light pollution, and in a country with deep astronomical roots—both Johannes Kepler and Tycho Brahe had worked in an observatory there under imperial patronage—that mattered.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
29 May 2026
-
As imperial forces traversed continents, the meanings and uses of these arrivals—whether people, plants, or ideologies— were actively negotiated and reshaped by the societies and environments compelled to contend with them.—
Sophia Rey,
JSTOR Daily,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Rooms vary in size and color palette but all offer soft rugs, silk throws, a neutral but warm color scheme with accent colors like purple, floral bouquets, and large beds just asking to be jumped on.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
-
Ahead of the 2024 election, the group drafted a memo asking whomever the incoming president was to mobilize federal agencies and welcoming presidential involvement in events and initiatives.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
The tension between the two boils over into a confrontation which only Eisenhower can adjudicate, a task complicated by his own arrogant British subordinate, a wiry and dislikable General Bernard Montgomery - played with a villainous verve bordering on the pantomime by Damian Lewis.—
Daniel Jonah Wolpert,
NPR,
29 May 2026
-
Public policy decisions always need to strive for middle ground, and those leadership decisions often referred to as arrogant can just as easily be called principled leadership.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
23 May 2026
Verb
-
The order, which Trump signed in private on June 2, stops short of mandating that the federal government conduct safety evaluations and cybersecurity testing for advanced AI products.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
Unlike supermassive black holes, the critics argued, LRDs appeared occluded by much denser clouds of gas, potentially mandating a more direct method for accurately measuring their mass.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dictating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictating. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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