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
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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
-
(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
-
dictatessimple
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have dictatedperfect
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has dictatedperfect
-
am dictatingprogressive
-
are dictatingprogressive
-
is dictatingprogressive
-
have been dictatingperfect progressive
-
has been dictatingperfect progressive
Past
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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
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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:
He got Billy Gilmour to sit lower in midfield, where he had time to dictate, which he absolutely did.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Don’t let others rush you or dictate how and when you need to act.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Carney, who didn’t mention the president in his address, later told a news conference that no one would dictate his country’s partnerships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
They denounced "the state failing to regulate prices", which "allows an integrated group that benefits from considerable upstream margins to dictate, to blackmail, leading to this distortion of competition."
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
In the end, science was going to dictate the course of the NDRC’s program, and the science of the atomic nucleus was on Lawrence’s side.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Every plan runs on a written document, and that document dictates what you’re allowed to do with your own money.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 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
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
“Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice, without constraint.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
He dictates to them in Irish and makes me correct what they’ve written.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
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
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
Though this was really an emergency proposal dictated by the military crisis, and was ultimately rejected by the planter class in South Carolina and Georgia, its very suggestion seemed prophetic.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
We find her dictating instructions through that landline, in perfect French, to her atelier in Paris while making notebook scribbles under the covers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Two years of dictating that everyone commute into work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays was hurting the morale as well as the productivity of many.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 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
At first Regina could handle him, but by the time Bobby reached six, he was dictating policy about his own regimen.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
