legislate

American  

[lej-is-leyt] / ˈlɛdʒ ɪsˌleɪt /

verb (used without object)

legislates, present (3rd person singular) legislated, past participle, past legislating present participle

1. to exercise the function of legislation; make or enact laws.

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verb (used with object)

legislates, present (3rd person singular) legislated, past participle, past legislating present participle

1. to create, provide, or control by legislation.

   attempts to legislate morality.

legislate British  

/ ˈlɛdʒɪsˌleɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to make or pass laws

2. (tr) to bring into effect by legislation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overlegislate
  verb
• quasi-legislated
  adjective
• unlegislated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• legislating
  present
• legislated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• legislate
  simple
• legislates
  simple
• have legislated
  perfect
• has legislated
  perfect
• am legislating
  progressive
• are legislating
  progressive
• is legislating
  progressive
• have been legislating
  perfect progressive
• has been legislating
  perfect progressive

Past

• legislated
  simple
• had legislated
  perfect
• was legislating
  progressive
• were legislating
  progressive
• had been legislating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will legislate
  simple
• will have legislated
  perfect
• will be legislating
  progressive
• will have been legislating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of legislate

First recorded in 1710–20; back formation from legislation, legislator

Explanation

To legislate is to make laws. If you thought there should be a law that all money should be pink instead of green, you might write to your congresswoman with a suggestion to legislate your idea. Formal government bodies legislate. So, while you might create a rule at home to ban phone calls at dinner, the House of Representatives would legislate communication regulations during meals. Legislate may seem like a tricky word, but you can easily remember the meaning if you notice that the word begins with the same leg as the word legal does; both words relate to the law.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

legislate legislates legislated legislating

There could be pressure now to legislate for a formal ban on forced labour products.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

If bondholders are going to legislate good borrower behavior via debt contracts, why stop at transparency?

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

They’ve packed town halls, prompted state and local political leaders to legislate limits on their growth or even to ban them.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

“You can’t legislate that, you can’t mandate it, but I think if you ask people, ‘Could we be better?’—I think you won’t get a better result unless you make the ask.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 17, 2026

I’m sure people did question whether Italian printers were quite the right people to legislate on the meaning of everything; but on the other hand, resistance was obviously useless against ajamily that could invent italics.

From "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Author

It means that Scotland is currently without any interim targets for cutting emissions until it legislates to replace them with five-yearly carbon budgets.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2025

The General Assembly legislates for a narrowly politically divided state of some 8.7 million people and considers thousands of bills in sessions scheduled for at most 60 days in even-numbered years, less in odd-numbered years.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 9, 2024

First, it legislates more than mere time, place and manner restrictions.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2023

Bonds said it’s crucial for lawmakers to get feedback from Ward-level legislators, who often hear direct feedback from their constituents, before noting that advocates often impact how the council legislates.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 20, 2022

Wanton obstruction cannot be tolerated in a Parliament that legislates for one-fifth of mankind, although it was the method by which Rome acquired liberty.

From Letters of Lord Acton To Mary, Daughter of the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone by Acton, John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, Baron

“The implementation of these standards will deliver a simple, consistent regulatory framework for large data centers and AI training and be the first to be legislated by a government worldwide,” Albanese said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The White House’s plan “may represent a policy opening” that “could evolve into a legislated, progressive, and secure universal system,” said Wealth Equity Lab’s Ghilarducci in the statement.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

The government has legislated that health insurers must make money.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 28, 2026

Between inflation, upkeep, and labor costs—including a Nevada minimum wage that jumped to $12 last year—Lovat argued, the salad days of low-minimum blackjack have been legislated out of the fray.

From Slate ● Nov. 18, 2025

It had been legislated and regulated to at least seem fair.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

The Irish government has warned that it is considering legislating in the absence of an EU decision.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

Going forward, I hope that policymakers will take a more-thoughtful approach when legislating privacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

This week marks the eighth anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act and allowed states to begin legislating sports betting.

From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026

But despite the criticisms, the bill legislating the limits - set to be debated in parliament this week - is expected to pass, with the opposition’s support.

From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2024

I accepted the new position at the hospital; Barack continued teaching and legislating.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Related Words

• enact