as in sanctioning
to make (something) legal
They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.
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Recent Examples of legalizing
The association, which represents casinos, including Monarch Casino in Black Hawk, conducted the poll after learning that gambling companies were interested in legalizing internet gambling — known as iGaming — in Colorado, a state in which online sports betting is popular.
—
Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
The governor has called for legalizing marijuana and taxing skill games, which would close some of that gap.
—Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
In Illinois, unions have also expressed some concern that legalizing autonomous vehicles could open the door to technologies that would threaten their members’ jobs.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2026
Supporters of legalizing recreational marijuana in Hawaii say a regulated market for adults will improve consumer safety, create new economic opportunities and reduce crime.
—A.j. Herrington, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Abe newly interpreted Article 9 as legalizing collective defense.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
It’s been a long wait for sports fans in the state, with many of the surrounding states legalizing betting apps years ago.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's pro-European coalition government's work on pushing through a bill legalizing same-sex unions has been held back by resistance from his conservative coalition partner.
—Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 25 Nov. 2025
While in office, Olson tried unsuccessfully to sell GOP leadership on the idea of legalizing medical marijuana.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025
Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2026
The governor has called for legalizing marijuana and taxing skill games, which would close some of that gap.
—Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
In Illinois, unions have also expressed some concern that legalizing autonomous vehicles could open the door to technologies that would threaten their members’ jobs.
—Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Feb. 2026
Supporters of legalizing recreational marijuana in Hawaii say a regulated market for adults will improve consumer safety, create new economic opportunities and reduce crime.
—A.j. Herrington, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
Abe newly interpreted Article 9 as legalizing collective defense.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
It’s been a long wait for sports fans in the state, with many of the surrounding states legalizing betting apps years ago.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's pro-European coalition government's work on pushing through a bill legalizing same-sex unions has been held back by resistance from his conservative coalition partner.
—Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 25 Nov. 2025
While in office, Olson tried unsuccessfully to sell GOP leadership on the idea of legalizing medical marijuana.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legalizing
Verb
-
Washington is ramping up pressure on Tehran, amassing aircraft and warships in the Middle East, and sanctioning more than 30 entities that support Iranian oil and weapons sales.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
26 Feb. 2026
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The House Ethics Committee launched its own probe into the Nevada Democrat that December and made public its exhaustive, 187-page report sanctioning Kihuen nearly a full year later, shortly before Kihuen’s term was set to end.—
Bayliss Wagner,
San Antonio Express-News,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
State regulators and the company have a history of permitting mistakes and violations, complicating safety oversight.—
Sarah Henry,
AZCentral.com,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The deal aligns Grok with the Defense Department’s standard terms, permitting use of the model for any lawful purpose and creating a formal pathway for deployment beyond unclassified systems.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Last month, her government unveiled a legal reform allowing the deportation of foreigners who have been sentenced to at least one year of unconditional imprisonment for serious crimes.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Feb. 2026
-
With nine prominent Democrats in the race, pressure on lower polling candidates to drop out has increased as concerns grow that Democrats will split their party’s vote in the June 2 primary, allowing two Republicans to slip into the runoff.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At the same time, a CNN poll found Republicans broadly supportive of the strikes, with about three-quarters approving of the military action compared with roughly one-third of independents and fewer than one in five Democrats.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Mar. 2026
-
That's a significant shift from last month, when Emerson reported a near-split approval rating, with 43% approving and 45% disapproving.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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BrokerCheck will show you a broker’s employment history, licensing information, and any regulatory actions, arbitrations, or customer complaints.—
Lauren Schuster,
Miami Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Sources close to the film continue to assert that Jagger was directly involved in licensing the music.—
Jem Aswad,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Governments must rethink pension systems not simply as transfer mechanisms but as platforms enabling active participation.—
Klaus Schwab,
Time,
1 Mar. 2026
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Last month, Elon Musk’s company xAI signed an agreement enabling its Grok model to operate within secure US military environments.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legalizing. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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