as in sanctioning
to make (something) legal
They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.
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Recent Examples of legalizing
Brian Vicente, partner at Vicente LLP, is optimistic that this week’s rescheduling is an incremental movement toward de-scheduling and maybe even legalizing marijuana altogether.
—
Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
After a rash of abandonments led to infant deaths in the late 1990s, Texas became the first in the nation to pass a state law legalizing abandonment.
—Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Cronin and Watson said Tunney began advocating for legalizing medical cannabis in Idaho in 2022, a push that continued until her death in 2024.
—Clark Corbin, Idaho Statesman, 14 Apr. 2026
Yeah, so in 2018, the Supreme Court overturned this law called the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which basically prevented states from legalizing sports betting and kept it in Las Vegas.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 11 Apr. 2026
Texas followed by legalizing hemp in 2019, allowing products that meet the THC threshold to be manufactured and sold.
—Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
Defending the gambling expansion, Rouse has typically framed legalizing new gambling machines as an important source of income for small businesses.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 22 Mar. 2026
Multiple states have argued that legalizing and regulating sports betting is under the jurisdiction of local regulators and outside the authority of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates event contracts and the prediction markets.
—Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2026
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
Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026
After a rash of abandonments led to infant deaths in the late 1990s, Texas became the first in the nation to pass a state law legalizing abandonment.
—Kelsy Mittauer, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026
Cronin and Watson said Tunney began advocating for legalizing medical cannabis in Idaho in 2022, a push that continued until her death in 2024.
—Clark Corbin, Idaho Statesman, 14 Apr. 2026
Yeah, so in 2018, the Supreme Court overturned this law called the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which basically prevented states from legalizing sports betting and kept it in Las Vegas.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 11 Apr. 2026
Texas followed by legalizing hemp in 2019, allowing products that meet the THC threshold to be manufactured and sold.
—Dallas Morning News, 30 Mar. 2026
Defending the gambling expansion, Rouse has typically framed legalizing new gambling machines as an important source of income for small businesses.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 22 Mar. 2026
Multiple states have argued that legalizing and regulating sports betting is under the jurisdiction of local regulators and outside the authority of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates event contracts and the prediction markets.
—Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legalizing
Verb
-
Phelps departed the top of the company after an acrimonious lawsuit and subsequent trial between the sanctioning body of NASCAR and two of its Cup Series teams — a 14-month process that revealed some pretty unflattering messages sent within NASCAR leadership.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The sanctioning body pulled the plug early Saturday after overnight rain continued into the early morning hours.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Excessive regulation and permitting delays make rebuilding far more expensive, which pushes premiums even higher.—
Steve Hilton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
Central to those cases is the idea that college athletes, at least football players at the power conference level, are a labor market that sells services and that the NCAA permitting colleges to directly pay athletes is consistent with a pro league and teams that buy athlete services.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Nexstar contends the deal would strengthen TV station economics, allowing stations to bolster their news gathering and expand the number of newscasts.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
Over a dozen people were arrested on suspicion of helping the escapees, including another inmate in the jail and a jail maintenance worker who is accused of shutting off water to the toilet, allowing escapees to remove it.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Under a California law enacted in 2018, a city, county or public agency must provide notice and hold public meetings before approving permits or allowing the reuse of existing buildings for immigration proceedings.—
Mathew Miranda,
Sacbee.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
On April 16, GOP state Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Houston officials for approving sanctuary policies that violated SB 4.—
Anna Giaritelli,
The Washington Examiner,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Dolan’s key priorities have been optimizing financials and brand impact by making AMC hit content available as widely as possible — including through licensing to other companies, while also looking for opportunities for further streaming subscriber growth, as well as broad distribution.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Apr. 2026
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The new owner is already evaluating go-to-market strategies, with a priority on licensing to expand the brand’s presence in the market place.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The science is getting better, enabling more organs to be used from patients who die older, sicker or further from a hospital.—
Karen Weintraub,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
-
In the ’90s, the blockbuster sales of two flea-and-tick medications, Frontline and Advantage, demonstrated untapped demand, and then intensified that demand by enabling new levels of indoor intimacy between dogs and people.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legalizing. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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