stipulate
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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stipulates,
present (3rd person singular)
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stipulated,
past participle, past
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stipulating
present participle
verb (used with object)
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stipulates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stipulated,
past participle, past
-
stipulating
present participle
-
to arrange expressly or specify in terms of agreement.
to stipulate a price.
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to require as an essential condition in making an agreement.
Total disarmament was stipulated in the peace treaty.
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to promise, in making an agreement.
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Law. to accept (a proposition) without requiring that it be established by proof.
to stipulate the existence of certain facts or that an expert witness is qualified.
adjective
verb
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to specify, often as a condition of an agreement
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to insist (on) as a term of an agreement
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Roman law to make (an oral contract) in the form of question and answer necessary to render it legally valid
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(tr; may take a clause as object) to guarantee or promise
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stipulatesimple
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stipulatessimple
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have stipulatedperfect
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has stipulatedperfect
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am stipulatingprogressive
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are stipulatingprogressive
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is stipulatingprogressive
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have been stipulatingperfect progressive
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has been stipulatingperfect progressive
Past
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stipulatedsimple
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had stipulatedperfect
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was stipulatingprogressive
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were stipulatingprogressive
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had been stipulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of stipulate1
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin stipulātus (past participle of stipulārī “to demand a formal agreement”), apparently equivalent to stipul- ( see stipule) + -ātus -ate 1
Origin of stipulate2
From the New Latin word stipulātus, dating back to 1770–80. See stipule, -ate 1
Explanation
To stipulate something means to demand that it be part of an agreement. So when you make a contract or deal, you can stipulate that a certain condition must be met. Anytime you draw up a legal agreement, you can stipulate a requirement that has to be met for that agreement to be complete. This stipulation might put some sort of limit on the agreement. For example, if you run a fencing company and offer a sale, you can stipulate that to get the sale price, the fence must be ordered by a certain date. Your customer, in turn, might stipulate that the work must be finished before the ground freezes.
Vocabulary lists containing stipulate
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
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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:
Our field’s foundational laws, regulatory guidelines and ethical mandates stipulate that organ donation must never influence or interfere with the degree or timing of one’s medical care.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
But its bylaws stipulate that the entity can be dissolved at any time, which means the billionaire could regain control of it as soon as his second term ends in 2029.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Martin noted some virtual jobs stipulate no promotions during onboarding, as some employers who are enforcing return-to-office rules actively favor their on-site staff for advancement.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
However, the initiative does not stipulate how dollars diverted from payroll must be spent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026
“This conclave cannot stipulate how I train my apprentices! It is my sole right to teach them, train them, and discipline them!”
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
It currently stipulates that a player’s eligibility clock begins with either their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Industry whispers point towards Las Vegas or New York, while Hearn says Joshua's contract stipulates the fight must happen in the UK - but he has not ruled out a move to America.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The efficient-markets hypothesis, developed decades ago by economists at the University of Chicago, stipulates that all available information is already factored into the market price.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
The text of the agreement stipulates there will be “no charge for 60 days only” for commercial ships, in exchange for the U.S. dropping its blockade and permitting Iran to sell oil.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
“Tano had a lot of goons,” Autumn stipulates, finger-spelling goons.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Lofgren and Amo noted in their letter that the Energy secretary spoke to the Science Committee more than three weeks after department attorneys stipulated to the opposite in court documents signed May 15, 2026.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Privately, Paramount officials were worried they might lose that round before Martínez-Olguín so, during negotiations with the states, Paramount stipulated that it would not close the deal on its preferred timetable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
But an 1889 imperial house law stipulated that only men could become emperor, and only through the paternal line.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
It was part of a broader bilingual policy adopted in the 1960s, which stipulated English to be spoken by all Singaporeans, along with their "mother tongue", a language determined by their ethnicity.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
“Ladies and gentlemen, according to Rule 5 of the regulations, Robert Fischer has lost the game. He has not turned up within the stipulated hour of time.”
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Aside from stipulating how to divide assets, it safeguards which children from prior relationships will receive an inheritance.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Matt Fitzgerald, Santander Consumer’s executive vice president of sales and marketing, described a conversation with Dundon about “stips,” or statements stipulating the borrower’s income, address and phone number have been verified.
From Salon ● Mar. 30, 2026
The Uniform Code of Military Justice, or UCMJ, contains several provisions stipulating that servicemembers are liable for illegal orders even if they were given by a superior officer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
Martyn's Law, named in memory of victim Martyn Hett, 29, has since been brought in to better protect public place from terror attacks - stipulating a range of extra safety measures large venues must undertake.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025
John and I came up with a contract stipulating that once the computers arrived the 35 students with the highest grade point average would win a computer when they graduated.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
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.
