legalize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to make lawful or legal
-
to confirm or validate (something previously unlawful)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
legalizesimple
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legalizessimple
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have legalizedperfect
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has legalizedperfect
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am legalizingprogressive
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are legalizingprogressive
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is legalizingprogressive
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have been legalizingperfect progressive
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has been legalizingperfect progressive
Past
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legalizedsimple
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had legalizedperfect
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was legalizingprogressive
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were legalizingprogressive
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had been legalizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of legalize
Explanation
To legalize some activity is to change a law so that people are free to do it. You might live in a state that once banned fireworks, until citizens voted to legalize them—making Independence Day significantly noisier. When something that's been illegal goes through the process of becoming legal, the government legalizes it. Gambling was legalized in Nevada back in the 1930s. To legalize a person is to make them a legal citizen of a country. Today, many people argue for legalizing victimless crimes, or those that arguably don't hurt anyone.
Vocabulary lists containing legalize
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ize
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-ize, List 2
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leg, legis
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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.
Polymarket has an advantage there: U.S. states with the highest Hispanic populations, namely Texas and California, have yet to legalize traditional sports betting.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
Bernal added that delinquency rates for credit cards and car loans have jumped by 25% to 27% for borrowers under age 40 in states that legalize internet sports betting.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
The law preempts local control to legalize midrise and high-rise multifamily housing, unlocking zoning for up to 1.5 million new units in major cities, including Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Is the federal government trying to push Minnesota to legalize gambling?
From Slate • May 28, 2026
I write that America is my home in my heart, and how citizenship will legalize what I already feel.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
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.
