dictate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
dictates
plural
-
an authoritative order or command.
-
a guiding or governing principle, requirement, etc..
to follow the dictates of one's conscience.
- Synonyms:
- bidding
verb
-
to say (messages, letters, speeches, etc) aloud for mechanical recording or verbatim transcription by another person
-
(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
-
redictateverb
-
predictateverb (used with object)
-
misdictatedadjective
-
undictatedadjective
-
dictatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
dictatesimple
-
dictatessimple
-
have dictatedperfect
-
has dictatedperfect
-
am dictatingprogressive
-
are dictatingprogressive
-
is dictatingprogressive
-
have been dictatingperfect progressive
-
has been dictatingperfect progressive
Past
-
dictatedsimple
-
had dictatedperfect
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
You Can Say That Again: Dic and Dict
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The New SAT: The Language of the Test
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
The choice would dictate the company’s direction going forward — and it could look like when Apple transitioned from the “visionary” Steve Jobs to the more operations-minded Tim Cook, the analysts added.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 13, 2026
“El Niño doesn’t really dictate the outcome, but it really kind of tilts the odds for a wetter winter, especially in Southern California.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026
With that unique selling point more common now than a decade ago, how he builds on it will dictate how his tenure unfolds.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026
Coppola conveys that the answers about who Marie Antoinette was have been written into history, but overlooked by the men who most often dictate it.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
Nor would he allow them to dictate terms.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
"The amount of flexibility of the polymer dictates how many bonds it has. It allows us to lower the number of bonds each particle has and make lattices we have never seen before."
From Science Daily ● Nov. 4, 2026
However, she acknowledged, “the reality is the White House is the one that dictates enforcement.”
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
The 9th Circuit judges in Friday’s opinion said that “this clause expressly dictates which sovereign has the authority to prescribe the manner in which congressional elections are conducted.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Even when intergalactic forces take pains to make the Lantern Corps’ selection process fair, Earth’s unspoken dictates about worthiness make that impossible.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
It appears to mean serving the dictates of greed and advantage rather than those of goodness and the desire to see justice prevail in the world.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
More broadly, the successful test suggests that the size of future space infrastructure may not always have to be dictated by the dimensions of the rockets used to launch its components.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2026
"The pricing power of companies is still pretty much dictated by consumers" in Japan, he said.
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026
Online thrifters like that they save money, help reduce waste and can ignore trends dictated by the industry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The economic war in the Persian Gulf is dictated as much by how much the countries in the region can move their exports over land rather than through the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
I wanted to add that he was the one whose voice dictated my dreams.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"There's no magic line" dictating what defines a nation, he told AFP, but noted Alberta's case for nationhood appears harder to make than that of other groups, like Catalans, Scots and French-speaking Canadians in Quebec.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
“Catchers, I think it’s the most important position on the field. They’re the ones calling pitches, dictating game flow, rhythm, all that type of stuff. I’m going to trust those guys always.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
Unison said the breakthrough created a route towards a ballot of its membership, without the council dictating the union's recommendation or communications.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 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
Hale also argued that the government should not be dictating the Osage’s financial decisions.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
