legislate

American  

[lej-is-layt] / 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

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Etymology

Origin of legislate

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

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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

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said AI companies should not wait for governments to legislate before implementing their own safety controls.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Nicholas Bednar and Max Sarinsky, came up with a few solutions that Congress could legislate without violating Slaughter, and I do think it’s worth lifting those up.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

There could be pressure now to legislate for a formal ban on forced labour products.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

If bondholders are going to legislate good borrower behavior via debt contracts, why stop at transparency?

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 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

It comes as the UK government legislates to protect children online.

From BBC ● Mar. 17, 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

The blueprint set during the 1994 offseason continues to serve as a model for how the league legislates on-field action.

From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2014

It legislates for a community like Porto Rico with reference to the situation and wants of that community—not with reference to somebody else.

From Problems of Expansion As Considered In Papers and Addresses by Whitelaw Reid

“How much of it can be legislated away? What it means in different settings? How to pull apart what are usually very gray-area cases?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

The ban was first announced in December 2024, and legislated in April.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Traditional sports betting, through companies like DraftKings and FanDuel, is regulated and legislated by U.S. states, and there are states where Americans still cannot legally bet on sports.

From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026

The rules of standard English are not legislated by a tribunal of lexicographers but emerge as an implicit consensus within a virtual community of writers, readers, and editors.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

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

WSJ Analysis The U.S. plan rests on a series of promises by Russia, including legislating in its parliament a policy of non-aggression towards Europe and Ukraine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

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

I accepted the new position at the hospital; Barack continued teaching and legislating.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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