LEGALIZING Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

legalizing

verb

present participle of legalize

as in sanctioning

to make (something) legal They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of legalizing Virginia officials react A forceful advocate of legalizing marijuana, Lucas partnered in opening the shop, The Cannabis Outlet, in 2021. — Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 The ultra-Orthodox have traditionally been exempt from military service, but in 2024, Israel's Supreme Court ruled that in the absence of any law legalizing the exemption, the military must start drafting them. — Dov Lieber, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026 Uthmeier chaired Keep Florida Clean, a political committee that fought against legalizing recreational marijuana. — Justin Garcia, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026 Rantzen was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in 2023 and went on to become a prominent campaigner for legalizing assisted dying in the UK. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026 The day after Markey’s death, the Illinois law legalizing MAID took effect. — Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026 The British Parliament has voted against legalizing assisted suicide services for adults, successfully blocking a bill that was filibustered out of time before the April recess. — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2026 Its Supreme Court has rejected draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jews and overturned a law legalizing settler homes built on private Palestinian land. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026 Last year, the mayor’s office commissioned a report from Christiansen Capitol Advisors LLC on the potential fiscal impacts of legalizing VGT gambling in Chicago. — Joe Ferguson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for legalizing

Verb

Our Congress has passed laws prohibiting trade with Russia and sanctioning those countries that do.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026
The University Interscholastic League is one step closer to sanctioning girls high school flag football in Texas.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of sanctioning

Verb

The funding will support exploration drilling, laboratory testing, engineering, and permitting work to assess whether the district can support tungsten production.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2026
Monitors will introduce themselves to the poll manager and present government ID (and a letter from the jurisdiction permitting entrance to the polls with the monitors' names, if the jurisdiction wants each monitor identified).

— Joe Brandt, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of permitting

Verb

The system combines molten salt reactors with thermal energy storage, allowing excess heat to be stored when electricity demand is low and used to generate additional power when demand increases.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 28 Oct. 2026
But there is an important distinction between reporting a tragedy and allowing that tragedy to define an entire industry.

— Dennis Speigel, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of allowing

Verb

However, Borges noted that, as the person in charge of the school’s finances, Segura was responsible for approving the invoices submitted by Bumper.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
In 2016, voters rejected Proposition 62, which sought to repeal the death penalty, while narrowly approving Proposition 66 to expedite the appeals process.

— Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of approving

Verb

In Brazil, Netflix struck a deal earlier this month with broadcaster Globo, which had long held out from licensing to the streamer in its home market even as its content appeared on Netflix elsewhere in Latin America and around the world.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 Oct. 2026
But the agency is responsible for licensing local radio and TV stations across the US and upholding basic standards, and Carr has repeatedly used that limited power to pressure broadcasters.

— Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of licensing

Verb

This gives reliability engineers a standardized baseline to track asset health over time, enabling teams to spot early signs of wear and intervene before minor issues escalate into costly plant shutdowns, according to a press release.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
He was removed from that list last week, enabling him to play again even though the NFLs investigation of him remains ongoing.

— Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of enabling

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legalizes

legalizing

legally

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“Legalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legalizing. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of legalizing

verb

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