as in to permit
to make (something) legal
They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.
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Recent Examples of legalize
Since legalizing online gambling in 2021, the state requires betting platforms to be licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.
—
Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 5 Mar. 2026
But what's happening to Iowa education in the three years since the state legalized Education Savings Accounts to pay for students to attend private schools has, indeed, been seismic.
—Mike Trautmann, Des Moines Register, 5 Mar. 2026
Almost half a century ago, Lebanon implicitly legalized Hezbollah and agreed to share security responsibilities – which is almost always exclusively within the hands of the state – with Hezbollah, a nominally nonstate entity.
—Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
His issues page lists populist reforms like raising the minimum wage, strengthening workers’ ability to organize, and legalizing marijuana.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for legalize
Arpan Lobo, Freep.com, 5 Mar. 2026
But what's happening to Iowa education in the three years since the state legalized Education Savings Accounts to pay for students to attend private schools has, indeed, been seismic.
—Mike Trautmann, Des Moines Register, 5 Mar. 2026
Almost half a century ago, Lebanon implicitly legalized Hezbollah and agreed to share security responsibilities – which is almost always exclusively within the hands of the state – with Hezbollah, a nominally nonstate entity.
—Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2026
His issues page lists populist reforms like raising the minimum wage, strengthening workers’ ability to organize, and legalizing marijuana.
—Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for legalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legalize
Verb
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Anthropic was happy to permit a role for Claude to surveil individuals under the jurisdiction of a FISA court, a secretive tribunal that oversees requests for surveillance warrants involving foreign powers or their agents on domestic soil.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
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Since that took effect this year, the California Geologic Energy Management Division has permitted 139 new wells in Kern County, more than the 121 wells permitted from 2023 to 2025 across the state.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Weeks later, eight individuals and two entities, including North Korean bankers and institutions, were sanctioned for laundering funds derived from cybercrime and IT worker fraud schemes.—
Lisa Cavazuti,
NBC news,
15 Mar. 2026
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The shadow fleet is being sanctioned vessel by vessel, the teapot refineries are being designated, and the front company networks are being dismantled.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Questions and comments will be moderated, read, and answered as time allows.—
Carolyn Hax,
Washington Post,
27 Mar. 2026
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The micropipette allowed the researchers to measure electrical activity in the neuron, Gray explained.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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China approved a new set of ethnicity laws that critics say risks further eroding the rights of minorities.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Members voted 4-1 to approve a three-year permit with conditions that set minimum staffing levels, ban the housing of minors and provide for a city oversight committee.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The platforms enable users to bet on serious geopolitical events, including assassinations and wars, which many view as ethically questionable.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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First launched in November, the tool allows users to send requests through popular messaging apps such as Telegram and WhatsApp, enabling the AI agent to perform multiple tasks autonomously.—
Evelyn Cheng,Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Charles Allen, the respected former chief executive of broadcaster ITV, resigned last week as chairman of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the sport’s governing body, which licences participants, oversees disciplinary procedures and enforces the rules.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
11 Mar. 2026
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The company says FutureVision will eventually serve as a foundation model that can be licensed to partners building robotic hardware and software platforms.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legalize. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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