deregulate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
deregulatesimple
-
deregulatessimple
-
have deregulatedperfect
-
has deregulatedperfect
-
am deregulatingprogressive
-
are deregulatingprogressive
-
is deregulatingprogressive
-
have been deregulatingperfect progressive
-
has been deregulatingperfect progressive
Past
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deregulatedsimple
-
had deregulatedperfect
-
was deregulatingprogressive
-
were deregulatingprogressive
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had been deregulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deregulate
Explanation
Deregulate is a verb that means to take away the rules. When someone deregulates a soccer game, the game could become a muddy wrestling match without any rules to keep things on track. You’ll notice the word regulate at the end of deregulate. Regulate is also a verb, and it means to “control something by rules.” To deregulate something, you take away the rules. If you deregulate a game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey at your little sister’s birthday party, you could end up with a tail on your face.
Vocabulary lists containing deregulate
Relevant Vocabulary from Fourth Democratic Debate, January 17, 2016
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Vocabulary from the Seventh Democratic Debate, March 6, 2016
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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.
States are starting to regulate these tools amid limited access to human therapy.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
The European Parliament has garnered international attention after the EU became the first in the world to regulate AI so comprehensively.
From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026
Shortly after that, state legislators advanced Assembly Bill 3233, which reaffirmed city and county authority to regulate oil and gas activity.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026
That is because you are using more energy to regulate your internal temperature.
From BBC • Jun. 22, 2026
A far greater number came as sightseers, which is why policemen had to be stationed at the door to regulate the flow of visitors.
From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy
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.
