deregulate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
deregulatesimple
-
deregulatessimple
-
have deregulatedperfect
-
has deregulatedperfect
-
am deregulatingprogressive
-
are deregulatingprogressive
-
is deregulatingprogressive
-
have been deregulatingperfect progressive
-
has been deregulatingperfect progressive
Past
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deregulatedsimple
-
had deregulatedperfect
-
was deregulatingprogressive
-
were deregulatingprogressive
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had been deregulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deregulate
Explanation
Deregulate is a verb that means to take away the rules. When someone deregulates a soccer game, the game could become a muddy wrestling match without any rules to keep things on track. You’ll notice the word regulate at the end of deregulate. Regulate is also a verb, and it means to “control something by rules.” To deregulate something, you take away the rules. If you deregulate a game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey at your little sister’s birthday party, you could end up with a tail on your face.
Vocabulary lists containing deregulate
Relevant Vocabulary from Fourth Democratic Debate, January 17, 2016
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Vocabulary from the Seventh Democratic Debate, March 6, 2016
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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.
His victory will likely be welcomed by investors as he has pledged a free-market approach to economics to shrink the state and deregulate certain industries.
From BBC • Dec. 14, 2025
In the late ’80s and ’90s, countries began to deregulate media, satellite dishes multiplied on roofs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
In the 1990s and early 2000s, about half of U.S. states chose to deregulate their electricity markets, taking electricity generation out of the hands of monopoly utilities.
From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025
The White House said Trump is committed to making “American leadership in space great again,” noting his first-term push to return U.S. astronauts to the moon and his efforts to deregulate the U.S. space industry.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2025
To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries, Austria will need to emphasize knowledge-based sectors of the economy and continue to deregulate the service sector.
From The 2001 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency
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.
