legislate
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(intr) to make or pass laws
-
(tr) to bring into effect by legislation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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legislatesimple
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legislatessimple
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have legislatedperfect
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has legislatedperfect
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am legislatingprogressive
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are legislatingprogressive
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is legislatingprogressive
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have been legislatingperfect progressive
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has been legislatingperfect progressive
Past
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legislatedsimple
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had legislatedperfect
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was legislatingprogressive
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were legislatingprogressive
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had been legislatingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing legislate
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Iroquois Constitution
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Word Generation Weekly - Series 2
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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.
See Examples For:
If bondholders are going to legislate good borrower behavior via debt contracts, why stop at transparency?
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
The prime minister said it was inevitable some teens would try to circumvent a social media ban, but this did not mean it should not legislate to protect current and future generations of UK children.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 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
It’s done at the state level, and Congress can legislate to alter the time, place, and manner of elections.
From Slate ● Apr. 15, 2026
“The lawgivers of antiquity...legislated for single cities,” Adams observed, but “who can legislate for 20 or 30 states, each of which is greater than Greece or Rome at those times?”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
First, it legislates more than mere time, place and manner restrictions.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2023
It comes as the UK government legislates to protect children online.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2022
“When Congress legislates expenditures and puts in place tax policy that determines taxes, those are the crucial decisions Congress is making,” Yellen told the House Financial Services Committee on Thursday.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 1, 2021
The blueprint set during the 1994 offseason continues to serve as a model for how the league legislates on-field action.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2014
It legislates according to the custom of the tribe where possible, and on the common sense of the moment when there is no precedent.
From Letters of Travel (1892-1913) by Kipling, Rudyard
Traditional sports betting, through companies like DraftKings and FanDuel, is regulated and legislated by U.S. states, and there are states where Americans still cannot legally bet on sports.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
It’s Canada’s flag carrier, a formerly state-owned company that was privatized on the legislated condition that it remain fully bilingual and have its head office in Montreal, in largely French-speaking Quebec.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
The increase in the state pension age to 68 is currently legislated for 2044–46, although a review will consider whether to change those dates.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 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
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
He added that Massie had his enemies in the state politics – acquired by not playing nice with local business leaders and disregarding the everyday work of legislating in favour of high-publicity efforts.
From BBC ● May 20, 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
WSJ Analysis The U.S. plan rests on a series of promises by Russia, including legislating in its parliament a policy of non-aggression towards Europe and Ukraine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
I accepted the new position at the hospital; Barack continued teaching and legislating.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
