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
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
The board functioned as a bridging device – a mechanism by which scientific judgment could inform federal decisions without scientists becoming political officers, and political priorities could shape research agendas without dictating findings.
—Caroline Wagner, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
This transit is shedding light on surface-level power and the unseen social currents secretly dictating your life.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 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
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
The board functioned as a bridging device – a mechanism by which scientific judgment could inform federal decisions without scientists becoming political officers, and political priorities could shape research agendas without dictating findings.
—Caroline Wagner, The Conversation, 30 Apr. 2026
This transit is shedding light on surface-level power and the unseen social currents secretly dictating your life.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 28 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictating
Adjective
-
ByteDance keeps a non-controlling stake to comply with federal law.—
Jon Markman,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
According to those close to the family, József was extremely controlling and would often make terrifying threats.—
Maddie Garfinkle,
PEOPLE,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But for many New Yorkers, the convenience of ordering online couldn’t meet the immediate demand of sporting Knicks gear around the city the morning after the team’s most consequential victory in a generation.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
27 May 2026
-
The move backfired on Nexstar as a federal judge in Northern California issued a preliminary injunction, ordering Nexstar to halt the Tegna consolidation.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Ellis is the commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson in Colorado.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
-
Before the splitting of the Bronx into two commands, for the last three years Gurley was the commanding officer of Patrol Borough Bronx, overseeing the entire borough.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Kyle was hospitalized days after requesting medical attention after finishing a race on May 10 at Watkins Glen International.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
25 May 2026
-
The siblings wrote a letter to the school requesting to give their awards to Noel on the last day of school, Principal Ronna Montgomery said.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 May 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
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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
-
Leaders can make that distinction explicit by asking debaters to move from critique to contribution.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
-
There were so few sightings of lovebugs in 2023 that Leppla and other entomologists received calls from the public asking where the irksome little critters went.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 May 2026
Adjective
-
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
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Some readers will probably hear a billionaire crediting luck and dismiss it as false modesty, the kind of thing people say to avoid sounding arrogant.—
Brandon Kochkodin,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
But the bill stopped short of mandating federal oversight, instead directing the Department of Health and Human Services to study the programs.—
Samantha Rappaport,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dictating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictating. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.
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