legalize
verb (used with object)
to make legal; authorize.
have legalized
-
present perfectof legalize.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
Twenty-four states have legalized cannabis for recreational use.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026
Now, 32 states have legalized online sports betting, according to the American Gaming Association.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 17, 2026
In this case, it has come from states that have legalized sports betting, such as Nevada, and are worried that the prediction markets could cannibalize their legal offerings and evade their gambling regulations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
The prosecution says their motive was Franco's opposition to plans that would have "legalized" land illegally seized by militias that control large parts of the city.
From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026
Every one remembers the startling sentence in which he condemned Mr. Gladstone's Irish policy of 1868: "We have legalized confiscation; we have consecrated sacrilege; we have condoned treason."
From Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 4 A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History by Charles F. (Charles Francis) Horne
