as in sanctioning
to make (something) legal
They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.
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Recent Examples of legalizing
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
In a time of great financial instability and uncertainty for our city, legalizing unregulated video gambling terminals will only worsen our problems.
—Julie Darling, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Which Mayor Johnson had backed a corporate head tax, his opponents' budget relied on an increase in the city's plastic bag tax, overhauling the tax on off-premise liquor sales; legalizing video gambling terminals in Chicago, and opening up new advertising opportunities.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
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
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
Dante Motley, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
In a time of great financial instability and uncertainty for our city, legalizing unregulated video gambling terminals will only worsen our problems.
—Julie Darling, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Which Mayor Johnson had backed a corporate head tax, his opponents' budget relied on an increase in the city's plastic bag tax, overhauling the tax on off-premise liquor sales; legalizing video gambling terminals in Chicago, and opening up new advertising opportunities.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legalizing
Verb
-
By sanctioning an unlawful deal, the government has created a legal impediment to petitioners' financial recovery.—
Scott MacFarlane,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Sulaiman defended the current system in the sport, which sees fighters pay fees to fight for world titles under each sanctioning body.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
-
As more observations are collected, those uncertainties shrink, allowing scientists to better understand the object’s true path through space.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Iran has a large Azeri population and Tehran has accused Baku of allowing Israeli intelligence to operate from there.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Mar. 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
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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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The company’s greater value proposition was looking forward, as AllHere was to manage, moderate and continue to develop Ed — and partner with LAUSD in marketing and licensing the product to other school systems.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Mar. 2026
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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
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 8 Mar. 2026.
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