as in permits
to make (something) legal
They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.
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Recent Examples of legalizes
In December, the Chicago City Council passed a provision in the 2026 budget that legalizes licensing of unregulated video gambling terminals within the city limits.
—
Julie Darling, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The measure also legalizes possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis concentrates by adults, as well as cannabis edibles containing up to 2,000 milligrams of THC, the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana.
—A.j. Herrington, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
First, my plan legalizes the ability for any group to purchase insurance collectively and operate across state lines.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
Both medical and recreational use are legal in Colorado, and New Mexico passed a law this year that legalizes certain medical uses.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025
Julie Darling, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The measure also legalizes possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis concentrates by adults, as well as cannabis edibles containing up to 2,000 milligrams of THC, the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana.
—A.j. Herrington, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
First, my plan legalizes the ability for any group to purchase insurance collectively and operate across state lines.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
Both medical and recreational use are legal in Colorado, and New Mexico passed a law this year that legalizes certain medical uses.
—Allison Parshall, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legalizes
Verb
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Acknowledging that most civil law now permits legitimization after the fact, some jurisdictions still discriminate against a child born out of wedlock.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
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In 2018, California voters passed Proposition 7, allowing the state to adopt permanent daylight saving time if federal law permits.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
7 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 Kentucky Derby will be run in eight weeks, which allows plenty of time for considerable changes in the field.—
Jay Posner,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Renewing multi-year funding CB11-2026 approves a multi-year grant agreement with the county's Housing Commission to support office space for the NonProfit Collaborative.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
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And yet since the strikes on Iran started, only one in four Americans approves of them, while about half — including one in four Republicans — believe Trump is too willing to use military force, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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For starters the World Cup is run by the same organization, FIFA, which sanctions virtually every level of soccer globally, from the men’s and women’s World Cups, to confederation competitions including the UEFA Championships and the Copa América, to most major age-group tournaments.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
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An autocratic government that sanctions violence.—
Michael Barnes,
Austin American Statesman,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In 2023, after a push by Newsom, the state launched a program known as CARE Court that enables judges to mandate mental health treatment plans if people don’t voluntarily agree.—
Andrew Khouri,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
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To support this transition, the Navy has awarded General Dynamics Mission Systems a contract to sustain and modernize the submarine fire control system that enables the operation of the Trident II missile.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 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 office also, in one of its more obscure functions, licenses certain private cemeteries.—
Jeremy Gorner,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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YoloCares accepts hospice and palliative care admissions around the clock and has received high quality-of-care ratings, Bourgoub said.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
11 Mar. 2026
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Bubo accepts microSD cards with a maximum storage of up to one TB for approximately 200,000 photos of 5MB each and about 260 hours of videos at 720p/60fps or 120 hours at 1080p/60fps.—
Shirl Leigh
March 10,
New Atlas,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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On national security grounds, the regulation authorizes the censor to prohibit reporting or broadcasting any material that could reveal sensitive information or pose a threat to the country’s security interests.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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The process fell under California Education Code Section 76001 and San Bernardino Community College District Board Policy 5011, which authorizes qualified K-12 students to enroll in college coursework.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legalizes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legalizes. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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