Dictionary.com

stipulate

1
[ stip-yuh-leyt ]
/ ˈstɪp yəˌleɪt /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: stipulate / stipulated on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), stip·u·lat·ed, stip·u·lat·ing.
to make an express demand or arrangement as a condition of agreement (often followed by for).
verb (used with object), stip·u·lat·ed, stip·u·lat·ing.
to arrange expressly or specify in terms of agreement: to stipulate a price.
to require as an essential condition in making an agreement: Total disarmament was stipulated in the peace treaty.
to promise, in making an agreement.
Law. to accept (a proposition) without requiring that it be established by proof: to stipulate the existence of certain facts or that an expert witness is qualified.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of stipulate

1
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin stipulātus (past participle of stipulārī “to demand a formal agreement”), apparently equivalent to stipul- (see stipule) + -ātus -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM stipulate

stip·u·la·ble [stip-yuh-luh-buhl], /ˈstɪp yə lə bəl/, adjectivestip·u·la·tor, nounstip·u·la·to·ry [stip-yuh-luh-tawr-ee], /ˈstɪp yə ləˌtɔr i/, adjective

Other definitions for stipulate (2 of 2)

stipulate2
[ stip-yuh-lit, -leyt ]
/ ˈstɪp yə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

adjective Botany.
having stipules.

Origin of stipulate

2
From the New Latin word stipulātus, dating back to 1770–80. See stipule, -ate1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use stipulate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for stipulate (1 of 2)

stipulate1
/ (ˈstɪpjʊˌleɪt) /

verb
(tr; may take a clause as object) to specify, often as a condition of an agreement
(intr foll by for) to insist (on) as a term of an agreement
Roman law to make (an oral contract) in the form of question and answer necessary to render it legally valid
(tr; may take a clause as object) to guarantee or promise

Derived forms of stipulate

stipulable (ˈstɪpjʊləbəl), adjectivestipulation, nounstipulator, nounstipulatory (ˈstɪpjʊlətərɪ, -trɪ), adjective

Word Origin for stipulate

C17: from Latin stipulārī, probably from Old Latin stipulus firm, but perhaps from stipula a stalk, from the convention of breaking a straw to ratify a promise

British Dictionary definitions for stipulate (2 of 2)

stipulate2
/ (ˈstɪpjʊlɪt, -ˌleɪt) /

adjective
(of a plant) having stipules
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
FEEDBACK