mandate

[man-deyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mandate ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a command or authorization to act in a particular way on a public issue given by the electorate to its representative: The president had a clear mandate to end the war.

a command from a superior court or official to a lower one: The appellate court resolved the appeal and issued a mandate to the district judge.

an authoritative order or command: a royal mandate.

(in the League of Nations) a commission given to a nation to administer the government and affairs of a former Turkish territory or German colony.

a mandated territory or colony.

Roman Catholic Church. an order issued by the pope, especially one commanding the preferment of a certain person to a benefice.

Roman and Civil Law. a contract by which one engages gratuitously to perform services for another.

(in modern civil law) any contract by which a person undertakes to perform services for another.

Roman Law. an order or decree by the emperor, especially to governors of provinces.

verb (used with object), man·dat·ed, man·dat·ing.

to authorize or decree (a particular action), as by the enactment of law: The state legislature mandated an increase in the minimum wage.

to order or require; make mandatory: to mandate sweeping changes in the election process.

to consign (a territory, colony, etc.) to the charge of a particular nation under a mandate.

Origin of mandate

1540–50; < Latin mandātum, noun use of neuter of mandātus, past participle of mandāre to commission, literally, to give into (someone's) hand. See manus, date¹

Related formsun·man·dat·ed, adjective

Synonyms for mandate

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mandate ON THESAURUS.COM

3. fiat, decree, injunction, edict, ruling.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for mandate

decree, injunction, directive, instruction, command, sanction, authorization, edict, fiat, word, go-ahead, behest, precept, commission, charge, imperative, bidding, dictate, okay, warrant

Examples from the Web for mandate

Contemporary Examples of mandate

Part of the problem is the mandate of the war and the means with which the U.S. is fighting it do not match up.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War
Nancy A. Youssef
January 7, 2015
As the Gerawan ordeal reveals, however, the current board seems to lack such a balanced vision of its mandate.
A Crazy California Union Scandal
James Poulos
August 2, 2014
The act does not increase taxes, create a new program, or mandate a curriculum.
The Financial Case for Dodgeball: Why America Needs Gym Class
Mark McKinnon
April 28, 2014
“The mandate requires us in essence to become abortion providers,” Hobby Lobby President Steve Green told reporters last fall.
Why Can’t the FDA Fix Outdated Birth Control Labels?
Tiffany Stanley
March 22, 2014
Religious groups, freedom-of-religion groups, and others who oppose the mandate have filed 59 friend-of-the-court briefs.
Why Is the Future of Birth Control In the Hands of the Supreme Court?
Stuart Taylor, Jr.
March 20, 2014

Historical Examples of mandate

The mandate was obeyed, and Bates was lodged in the forecastle, securely ironed.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
While she accepted him because it was the mandate of the gods, that was no reason that she should leave him in peace.
White Fang
Jack London
It was the mandate of his instinct that that head must be free.
White Fang
Jack London
The wretched Theodora was then ordered to retire, but she was unable to obey the mandate.
Gomez Arias
Joaqun Telesforo de Trueba y Coso
I was only too glad to comply with this mandate, but it was long ere I slept.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill

British Dictionary definitions for mandate

mandate

noun (ˈmændeɪt, -dɪt)

an official or authoritative instruction or command

politics the support or commission given to a government and its policies or an elected representative and his policies through an electoral victory

Also called: mandated territory (often capital) (formerly) any of the territories under the trusteeship of the League of Nations administered by one of its member states

Roman lawa contract by which one person commissions another to act for him gratuitously and the other accepts the commission
contract lawa contract of bailment under which the party entrusted with goods undertakes to perform gratuitously some service in respect of such goods
Scots lawa contract by which a person is engaged to act in the management of the affairs of another

verb (ˈmændeɪt) (tr)

international law to assign (territory) to a nation under a mandate

to delegate authority to

obsolete to give a command to

Derived Formsmandator, noun

Word Origin for mandate

C16: from Latin mandātum something commanded, from mandāre to command, perhaps from manus hand + dāre to give

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for mandate

"judicial or legal order," c.1500, from Middle French mandat (15c.) and directly from Latin mandatum "commission, command, order," noun use of neuter past participle of mandare "to order, commit to one's charge," literally "to give into one's hand," probably from manus "hand" (see manual) + dare "to give" (see date (n.1)). Political sense of "approval supposedly conferred by voters to the policies or slogans advocated by winners of an election" is from 1796. League of Nations sense is from 1919.

1620s, "to command," from mandate (n.). Meaning "to delegate authority, permit to act on behalf of a group" is from 1958; used earlier in the context of the League of Nations, "to authorize a power to control a certain territory for some specified purpose" (1919). Related: Mandated; mandating.

mandate in Culture

mandate

A command or an expression of a desire, especially by a group of voters for a political program. Politicians elected in landslide victories often claim that their policies have received a mandate from the voters.