legislate

American  

[lej-is-leyt] / ˈlɛdʒ ɪsˌleɪt /

verb (used without object)

• legislates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• legislated,
  past participle,  past
• legislating
  present participle

1. to exercise the function of legislation; make or enact laws.

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verb (used with object)

• legislates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• legislated,
  past participle,  past
• legislating
  present participle

1. to create, provide, or control by legislation.

   attempts to legislate morality.

legislate British  

/ ˈlɛdʒɪsˌleɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to make or pass laws

2. (tr) to bring into effect by legislation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overlegislate
  verb
• quasi-legislated
  adjective
• unlegislated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• legislating
  present
• legislated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• legislate
  simple
• legislates
  simple
• have legislated
  perfect
• has legislated
  perfect
• am legislating
  progressive
• are legislating
  progressive
• is legislating
  progressive
• have been legislating
  perfect progressive
• has been legislating
  perfect progressive

Past

• legislated
  simple
• had legislated
  perfect
• was legislating
  progressive
• were legislating
  progressive
• had been legislating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will legislate
  simple
• will have legislated
  perfect
• will be legislating
  progressive
• will have been legislating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of legislate

First recorded in 1710–20; back formation from legislation, legislator

Explanation

To legislate is to make laws. If you thought there should be a law that all money should be pink instead of green, you might write to your congresswoman with a suggestion to legislate your idea. Formal government bodies legislate. So, while you might create a rule at home to ban phone calls at dinner, the House of Representatives would legislate communication regulations during meals. Legislate may seem like a tricky word, but you can easily remember the meaning if you notice that the word begins with the same leg as the word legal does; both words relate to the law.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

legislate legislates legislated legislating

So although states are free to legislate for restaurant workers to be paid more, tips are seen by the US government as a core - and expected - component of such employees' income.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

They’ve packed town halls, prompted state and local political leaders to legislate limits on their growth or even to ban them.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

It’s done at the state level, and Congress can legislate to alter the time, place, and manner of elections.

From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2026

And Washington, for all of its efforts to reshape the economy, can’t legislate aging away.

From Barron's ● Apr. 3, 2026

I’m sure people did question whether Italian printers were quite the right people to legislate on the meaning of everything; but on the other hand, resistance was obviously useless against ajamily that could invent italics.

From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author

First, it legislates more than mere time, place and manner restrictions.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2023

One of Ms Forbes' rivals for the leadership, Humza Yousaf, is a Muslim but he insists his faith does not dictate how he legislates.

From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2023

Bonds said it’s crucial for lawmakers to get feedback from Ward-level legislators, who often hear direct feedback from their constituents, before noting that advocates often impact how the council legislates.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 20, 2022

“When Congress legislates expenditures and puts in place tax policy that determines taxes, those are the crucial decisions Congress is making,” Yellen told the House Financial Services Committee on Thursday.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 1, 2021

But a generation consisting of all ages, and which legislates by all its members above the age of twenty-one years, cannot contract for so long a time, because their majority will be dead much sooner.

From Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 3 by Thomas Jefferson Randolph

It was legislated to continue for at least three years, through 2027.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

Labour won the general election of May 1997, and almost immediately legislated.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026

The White House’s plan “may represent a policy opening” that “could evolve into a legislated, progressive, and secure universal system,” said Wealth Equity Lab’s Ghilarducci in the statement.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

The government has legislated that health insurers must make money.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 28, 2026

It had been legislated and regulated to at least seem fair.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Decades ago they started outsourcing to executive-branch agencies the task of nitty-gritty legislating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

The Irish government has warned that it is considering legislating in the absence of an EU decision.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

This week marks the eighth anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and allowed states to begin legislating sports betting.

From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026

But despite the criticisms, the bill legislating the limits - set to be debated in parliament this week - is expected to pass, with the opposition’s support.

From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2024

On Friday, the thirteenth of February 2009, at 2:15 p.m., after a long week of legislating, the Utah House of Representatives met to discuss texting and driving.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• enact