dictate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
-
to say or read aloud something to be written down by a person or recorded by a machine.
-
to give orders.
noun
-
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
- dictatingly adverb
- misdictated adjective
- predictate verb (used with object)
- redictate verb
- undictated adjective
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”
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.
Transit times, determined by distance from the Middle East, dictate how the shock spreads through the global system, said Michael Haigh, head of commodities research at Société Générale.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
We’re living in a world where your purchase history, browsing speed and even your ZIP code increasingly dictate the cost of your life.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026
Leading AI developers believe that we’re a couple years away from transformative AI that will completely reshape the world and dictate the course of future events.
From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026
F1 rules dictate that manufacturers must supply engines of exactly the same specification to all their teams - works or customer.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
No generation has the right to dictate to another what its culture ought to be, or to degrade its choices as stupid and offensive.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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.
