mandate

American  

[man-deyt] / ˈmæn deɪt /

noun

• mandates
  plural

1. a command or authorization to act in a particular way on a public issue given by the electorate to its representative.

   The president had a clear mandate to end the war.

2. a command from a superior court or official to a lower one.

   The appellate court resolved the appeal and issued a mandate to the district judge.

3. an authoritative order or command.

   a royal mandate.

   Synonyms:

   ruling, edict, injunction, decree, fiat

4. (in the League of Nations) a commission given to a nation to administer the government and affairs of a former Turkish territory or German colony.

5. a mandated territory or colony.

6. Roman Catholic Church. an order issued by the pope, especially one commanding the preferment of a certain person to a benefice.

7. Roman and Civil Law. a contract by which one engages gratuitously to perform services for another.

8. (in modern civil law) any contract by which a person undertakes to perform services for another.

9. Roman Law. an order or decree by the emperor, especially to governors of provinces.

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verb (used with object)

• mandates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• mandated,
  past participle,  past
• mandating
  present participle

1. to authorize or decree (a particular action), as by the enactment of law.

   The state legislature mandated an increase in the minimum wage.

2. to order or require; make mandatory.

   to mandate sweeping changes in the election process.

3. to consign (a territory, colony, etc.) to the charge of a particular nation under a mandate.

mandate British  

noun

1. an official or authoritative instruction or command

2. politics the support or commission given to a government and its policies or an elected representative and his policies through an electoral victory

3. Also called: mandated territory.  (often capital) (formerly) any of the territories under the trusteeship of the League of Nations administered by one of its member states

4. 1. Roman law a contract by which one person commissions another to act for him gratuitously and the other accepts the commission

   2. contract law a contract of bailment under which the party entrusted with goods undertakes to perform gratuitously some service in respect of such goods

   3. Scots law a contract by which a person is engaged to act in the management of the affairs of another

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verb

1. international law to assign (territory) to a nation under a mandate

2. to delegate authority to

3. obsolete to give a command to

mandate Cultural  

1. A command or an expression of a desire, especially by a group of voters for a political program. Politicians elected in landslide victories often claim that their policies have received a mandate from the voters.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mandator
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mandates
  plural

Participles

• mandating
  present
• mandated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• mandate
  simple
• mandates
  simple
• have mandated
  perfect
• has mandated
  perfect
• am mandating
  progressive
• are mandating
  progressive
• is mandating
  progressive
• have been mandating
  perfect progressive
• has been mandating
  perfect progressive

Past

• mandated
  simple
• had mandated
  perfect
• was mandating
  progressive
• were mandating
  progressive
• had been mandating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will mandate
  simple
• will have mandated
  perfect
• will be mandating
  progressive
• will have been mandating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of mandate

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin mandātum, noun use of neuter of mandātus, past participle of mandāre “to commission,” literally, “to give into (someone's) hand”; equivalent to manus manus + -dere “to put” (combining form; see do ¹).

Explanation

A mandate is an official command or a go-ahead. When a politician wins an election by a wide margin, that's a mandate to implement her ideas. A mandate gives authority. If the government gives schools a mandate to test more, then the schools had better give more tests. People who work for the Peace Corps have a mandate to help various countries with things like getting clean drinking water. A politician who believes in higher taxes and then gets elected considers that a mandate to raise taxes. When you have a mandate, it's like a ticket to get something done.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mandate mandates mandated mandating

These characters know that the mandate is awful, but they’ve found screwed-up ways to live with it.

From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026

Sunak also introduced more gradual targets for EV sales under the ZEV mandate.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The bill does not mandate the Angels — playing under a Los Angeles name in Anaheim’s city-owned stadium — revert to the Anaheim Angels name.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

The case has caused consternation in one of Africa's most robust democracies, with fears the country's military is significantly overreaching its mandate.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Maisels then said simply, “We have no further mandate and we will consequently not trouble Your Lordships any further,” after which the defense team silently filed out of the synagogue.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Return-to-office mandates also have hiring managers more focused on candidates’ personalities.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

To date, almost all states have maintained their previous mandates or otherwise decoupled their policies from the federal recommendations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Standard procedure mandates that anyone suspected of smoke inhalation receives a bronchoscopic examination of their airways.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

States could keep the existing mandates if they want or design their own rules.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Referring to them as sacred might feel uncomfortable, because the First Amendment of the Constitution tells us that this nation legally mandates separation of church and state.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

“That’s the Congressionally mandated role of the CFTC. As stated in the order, Kalshi is required to operate as normal to maintain market integrity and stability.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Sharp sentenced Young to life without the possibility of parole, as the law mandated.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

Lawmakers were denied entry when they tried to perform their mandated oversight duties at immigrant detention facilities.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Fifa has mandated three weeks off for players during the off-season, meaning the aforementioned City players will not be on the plane for the club's pre-season trip to the Far East unless joining later on.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

They walked nonchalantly and talked tough, explaining how the hour-long recreation period was mandated by the courts.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Last month, Bass issued orders mandating Lineage remove all food waste within 45 days and mobilizing resources to assist the community.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

It said this includes mandating tech firms ban those who post scams and prevent them from creating new accounts, as well as those who impersonate real businesses.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

One point of mandating U.S. stock-market exposure with the funds is to give future generations buy-ins on America’s economy.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026

Notably, all nine Justices reject B.P.J.’s challenge that the West Virginia law violates Title IX, the 1972 law mandating equality in men’s and women’s education.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

A final consideration mandating complex organization for large societies has to do with population densities.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• authorization
• command
• decree
• directive
• injunction
• instruction
• sanction