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
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
Pedri — Spain/Barcelona The indispensable midfield brain of Barcelona and Spain, equally capable of dictating possession in deeper areas and picking passes through the opposition lines in advanced ones.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 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
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
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
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
Pedri — Spain/Barcelona The indispensable midfield brain of Barcelona and Spain, equally capable of dictating possession in deeper areas and picking passes through the opposition lines in advanced ones.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 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
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
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
-
Here are straight answers to the questions people ask most before ordering an at-home microbiome test.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 June 2026
-
This new guidance moves beyond just coffee, soda, water and food leftover containers and will allow additional forms of reuse, like permitting customers to use their own multi-use containers at salad bars or when ordering food from a food truck if the container is clean and sanitized.—
Kelley Dennings,
The Orlando Sentinel,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Or perhaps the Black policemen, who often watched the house without their white commanding officer, secretly sympathized with the uprising.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
-
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.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Liccardo is joining others in requesting an emergency disaster declaration to provide faster relief.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
Fox News Digital reached out to the lead authors of the study requesting comment.—
Shiv Sudhakar,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
In retrospect, the Greenland crisis carried the early rumblings of a new American rampage through international affairs, a campaign of imperial displays across three continents that culminated with the war in Iran.—
Joshua Hunt,
Vanity Fair,
17 June 2026
-
On Erdozain goes—through America’s imperial adventures in the late 19th century, its involvement in World War I, and then its immersion in the Cold War.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Birding has gone fully mainstream in 2026, and millions of new converts are asking the same beginner questions.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
18 June 2026
-
County staff, led by planning director Todd Smith, gave an extensive presentation during Tuesday’s meeting with supervisors periodically asking questions.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
The two roles underline the actor’s formidable versatility, all skittish panic in the former and arrogant sociopathy in the other.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
13 June 2026
-
Washington State’s beauty is almost arrogant in its expansiveness.—
C Pam Zhang,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
First, designing from circularity and embedding regeneration as a core standard for material design while mandating traceability.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Footwear News,
15 June 2026
-
Getting time to grieve Only five states – California, Illinois, Oregon, Maryland and Washington – have laws mandating leave when a loved one dies.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dictating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictating. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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