dictate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
dictates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dictated,
past participle, past
-
dictating
present participle
-
to say or read (something) aloud for another person to transcribe or for a machine to record.
to dictate some letters to a secretary.
-
to prescribe or lay down authoritatively or peremptorily; command unconditionally.
to dictate peace terms to a conquered enemy.
verb (used without object)
-
dictates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dictated,
past participle, past
-
dictating
present participle
-
to say or read aloud something to be written down by a person or recorded by a machine.
-
to give orders.
noun
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dictates
plural
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an authoritative order or command.
-
a guiding or governing principle, requirement, etc..
to follow the dictates of one's conscience.
- Synonyms:
- bidding
verb
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to say (messages, letters, speeches, etc) aloud for mechanical recording or verbatim transcription by another person
-
(tr) to prescribe (commands) authoritatively
-
(intr) to act in a tyrannical manner; seek to impose one's will on others
noun
-
an authoritative command
-
a guiding principle or rule
the dictates of reason
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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redictateverb
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predictateverb (used with object)
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misdictatedadjective
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undictatedadjective
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dictatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dictatesimple
-
dictatessimple
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have dictatedperfect
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has dictatedperfect
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am dictatingprogressive
-
are dictatingprogressive
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is dictatingprogressive
-
have been dictatingperfect progressive
-
has been dictatingperfect progressive
Past
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dictatedsimple
-
had dictatedperfect
-
was dictatingprogressive
-
were dictatingprogressive
-
had been dictatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dictate
First recorded in 1585–95; from Latin dictātus “said repeatedly,” past participle of dictāre “to say repeatedly, order, prescribe,” from dīcere “to say, speak, tell”
Explanation
When you dictate something, you are giving orders — acting a bit like a dictator. Dictate can also be used in a broader sense. Weather often dictates how many layers of clothes you wear, and the school rules dictate how you behave in and out of class. In a very different meaning, dictate means to say something out loud to a person or into a machine so it can be recorded. Up until fairly recently, bosses dictated letters and reports to secretaries who wrote them down.
Vocabulary lists containing dictate
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 3
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You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Federal laws, particularly the Privacy Act, dictate what data government agencies can collect, what it can be used for, how it can be shared, and how it must be protected.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Central to that is teammates, particularly within the same position group, celebrating the success of one another rather than letting the depth chart dictate morale.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Even so, Ellison acknowledged that "nobody can dictate what audiences will love."
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
“Every case is different, and the outcome of one doesn’t dictate the outcome of another,” the spokeswoman said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
I let my memories of Bas dictate what I thought happened to Mirjam.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
At the core of her allegations is a distinction that banks make between frauds and scams, which dictates how customer claims are handled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The bulks list rather dictates what ingredients compounding pharmacies can use when mixing custom medications for patients with a specific prescription.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Thai custom dictates that the heir should be a male, but a 1974 amendment to the constitution does allow a female to take the throne.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Rigid operational dictates cause infrastructure investment to plummet, ultimately degrading track quality and severely hurting long-term economic productivity.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
He dictates to them in Irish and makes me correct what they’ve written.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
At Aston Martin, Lance Stroll finished in 13th, ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso, their positions dictated to a degree by luck under the VSC and their divergent strategies.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
CEO Satya Nadella recently made clear that the tech giant is seeking to steer the AI race away from a future dictated and controlled by frontier model-builders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The size of recruit classes are dictated by the department’s annual budget, which is approved by the City Council before each fiscal year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Sandford—to firmly establish that birthplace, rather than bloodline or race, dictated U.S. citizenship.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
The old method dictated that in the event all the games were played and there was a tie, the reigning champion would retain the title.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Two years of dictating that everyone commute into work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays was hurting the morale as well as the productivity of many.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Some communities have strong cultural traditions dictating who should fill the caretaker role — in many cases, that’s the eldest daughter.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Kimi K3 model has 2.8 trillion parameters dictating its decision-making and is the world’s biggest open-source model, according to the Beijing-based AI startup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Spain's use of width creates space for Lamine Yamal and enables them to generate chances, while Rodri and Pedri dominate midfield, controlling possession and dictating the tempo of the game.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Then Mr. van Daan came in to do some dictating.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
