dictate
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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(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
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dictatessimple
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have dictatedperfect
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has dictatedperfect
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am dictatingprogressive
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are dictatingprogressive
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is dictatingprogressive
-
have been dictatingperfect progressive
-
has been dictatingperfect progressive
Past
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dictatedsimple
-
had dictatedperfect
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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:
“You’re able to dictate the terms up front and also shut one side down on the field,” Lake said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Gabriel Attal, a centrist rival to become president, said that "in France, no culture, no belief, no religion, nothing and no one can come and dictate to women what their place should be".
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
The cartel is also reviewing OPEC+ members’ production capacity after saying last year it would create a system to set output baselines for 2027 that would dictate future quotas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Sander Berge: Struggled to dictate the tempo as he had done in pre-season in an unsettled game.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
“You can’t dictate what she does with her own spitl” “Mind your own business,” Ammu snapped.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
For now, the strategists say the “summer consensus” that dictates buying assets that are perceived as riskier, such as stocks, is still in place.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
The same logic dictates the "forced march" the hopefuls must undergo -- the final exercise required to earn the paratrooper's beret.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The complaint alleges Amazon dictates routes, hiring, compensation, performance standards and other aspects of the businesses, leaving them with little ability to negotiate or work for other customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The plot of “Cape Fear” dictates that this sporting tale of homicidal pettiness can only end one way.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
That consideration dictates single authorship, despite all the difficulties that it poses.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
This is often because studios themselves dictated the stories and angles being written about.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
Nor should it be dictated by your RMDs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
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
For more than a quarter-century, a lawsuit settlement from a case brought in Los Angeles federal court has dictated conditions for children held in immigration detention.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
They’re not dressed identically, but it’s clear they’ve all dressed within the same sartorial guidelines, dictated by you-know-who.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
California does not have a statewide mandate dictating how far a firearms retailer must be from a school or day care.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Activists and protesters see the focus on women as an effort to use India’s strict social norms dictating women’s behavior to tarnish the protests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 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
Barcelona's Busquets was a revelation in the 2010 World Cup alongside stalwart Alonso in central midfield, together breaking up play and dictating games in front of the Spain backline.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Besides dictating career opportunities, the system shaped geographic destiny, with the core class allowed to live in and around Pyongyang.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
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.
