self-regulate
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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to make necessary adjustments automatically or by means of built-in or internal mechanisms.
She argued that state interventions do not allow the market to self-regulate through its own feedback loops.
Our focus will be on finding ways to allow electronic systems to self-regulate the amount of energy they use.
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to govern oneself by voluntarily creating and following one’s own rules or guidelines, as for a particular area of oversight.
The transport agency is cracking down after years of relying on trucking companies to self-regulate their safety standards.
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Psychology. to monitor and cope with one’s emotions, physical states, thoughts, and behavior in healthy, socially acceptable ways.
We teach parents strategies to help their children learn to self-regulate.
Eventually he began to self-regulate his feelings of anxiety and take more risks.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-regulate
First recorded in 1830–40
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.
"The Education Committee's recent report is clear - social media firms cannot be relied upon to self-regulate," the committee's chair, Helen Hayes MP, told the BBC.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
More than 8 in 10 Americans report they are able to self-regulate the amount of time they spend online, feel comfortable presenting their true selves online, and are capable of engaging constructively in online discussions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 23, 2025
“Contractors don’t need to be regulated, given contract structure and clearer demand signals, self-regulate investments,” she wrote.
From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025
“People and the environment suffer when companies are left to self-regulate with weak voluntary standards,” the letter stated.
From Salon • Jun. 3, 2025
When I’m in a bad mood or bored or lonely or tired, it’s hard for me to self-regulate without food.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2024
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.
