regulates

verb

present tense third-person singular of regulate
1
as in contains
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) you would be well advised to regulate your enthusiasm for the venture and pause to consider the risk involved

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in supervises
to look after and make decisions about the government agency that regulates the nuclear power industry in this country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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 regulates Instead of planting for curb appeal alone, homeowners are layering in rustling grasses, fragrant herbs, water features and wildlife habitats so the space actively regulates mood and stress. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026 Utah has been on the front lines of a battle between states and the federal government over who regulates the markets. — ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026 The state comptroller's office regulates crematories, but not funeral homes. — Dave Savini, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 Doctors point to how the body regulates its own temperature at night, and how a cozy pair of socks can nudge that process along. — Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026 Every few years, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, which regulates the sport, makes the teams redesign their cars. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026 Cut regulates how well a stone’s facets interact with light, resulting in varying degrees of brilliance and sparkle. — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026 The medications work by blocking certain chemical messengers in the part of the brain that regulates body temperature and manages sleep/wake cycles, according to the guidance. — Shannon Firth, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026 That finding is now being read against a parallel body of research on circadian rhythm, the 24-hour internal clock that regulates eating, sleeping and other physiological processes. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for regulates
  1. contains
  2. supervises
  3. controls
  4. operates
  5. keeps
  6. oversees
  7. restrains
  8. manages
Verb
  • California officials, however, say the government’s list contains substantial inaccuracies and risks disenfranchising eligible citizens.
    — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The study contains no word on the protein component of hemoglobin being preserved.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of contains
Verb
  • Although labs such as DeepSeek and Moonshot AI are private, the state supervises them at every stage and, increasingly, finances them.
    — NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Request the treating physician’s name and qualifications, then ask who performs each stage and how the physician supervises the team.
    — Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of supervises
Verb
  • One is fezolinetant, which works in the area of the brain that controls body temperature and blocks a source of hot flashes and night sweats.
    — Laura Ungar, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026
  • That’s three negative developments in three Senate races that could determine which party controls the chamber, all of them contests in which Democrats were believed to be favored.
    — W. James Antle III, The Washington Examiner, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of controls
Verb
  • The company says its sodium-ion platform operates with passive cooling, eliminating the need for those systems.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Technically not in Lofoten, but well worth extending your trip for, Kvitnes Gard is a historic estate in Hadsel, Vesterålen, that operates as a 15-room farm hotel.
    — Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of operates
Verb
  • Despite the prevalent literary theme, the hotel keeps more glossy coffee table books than beach reads.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The album’s experimental bent is also what keeps the music from slipping into parody or, even worse, po-faced sincerity.
    — Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of keeps
Verb
  • The Organization and Guidance Department, the party’s most powerful agency, oversees appointments, inspections, and discipline everywhere—in Pyongyang as well as rural villages.
    — Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
  • According to Monopol, authorities are now looking for witnesses, while the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD), which oversees the city’s state art collections, has increased security at the museum.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of oversees
Verb
  • Farther down, the levee that restrains the rivers is a low line of trees into the horizon.
    — Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • The constitutional exclusionary rule restrains government, not private parties, so the Fourth Amendment generally does not bar evidence wrongfully obtained by a private actor.
    — Jihun Joun, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of restrains
Verb
  • This book manages to deliver on the promise of the jaunt without losing any of the rigor.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Her lips were frosted with a sheen of seashell pink, which manages to be both wintry and summery at the same time.
    — Kara Nesvig, Allure, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of manages

Browse Nearby Words

regulated
regulates
regulating
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Regulates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/regulates. Accessed 3 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of candidate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All