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
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(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
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had dictatedperfect
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was dictatingprogressive
-
were dictatingprogressive
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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:
Federal laws, particularly the Privacy Act, dictate what data government agencies can collect, what it can be used for, how it can be shared, and how it must be protected.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
They occur naturally in the body, helping dictate processes such as repairing tissue.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
The results could dictate the kingdom's position, and influence the view of others in the region.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Those requirements dictate what California teenagers learn long before they even fill out an application.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
He cabled Luther Rice, “...Burnham nor anyone else has any right to dictate whether we shall have a closed or open fence, any more than from an artistic standpoint.”
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
At the core of her allegations is a distinction that banks make between frauds and scams, which dictates how customer claims are handled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
“A simple rule dictates my buying,” he wrote in his annual shareholders letter in the winter of 2009.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
She believes that if all the signs point to a partner-less destiny anyway, then she may as well flout the dictates of her mother and the marriage mart.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
Furthermore, Lord Biggar challenges the core premise of Project Spire and reparatory justice as a whole - that historic suffering directly dictates modern disadvantage.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
“Over the years military planners have arrived at a rule of thumb which dictates that functional fighting units cannot be substantially larger than 200 men,” Dunbar writes.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
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
Spain dictated possession for much of the afternoon while Argentina defended stubbornly, forcing the final into extra time before the breakthrough finally came.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
The government presented evidence to show how, despite having no medical training, He dictated medical practice at the company and was ultimately responsible for its nonstandard prescription practices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
The “Statement,” a seventy-eight-page document which he had dictated to the Finney County court stenographer, recounted admissions already made to Alvin Dewey and Clarence Duntz.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
The administration has completed a framework dictating which models will be subject to federal government review before they are released publicly, a White House official said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 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
Another clip showed Fury, who said ticket profits would be donated to a local charity supporting disadvantaged children and students with disabilities, dictating the pace and repeatedly landing uppercuts at close range in the fifth.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
I told the chief that these foreign politicians were not dictating our policy, but merely saying that they did not understand it.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
