regulate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
regulates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
regulated,
past participle, past
-
regulating
present participle
-
to control or direct by a rule, principle, method, etc..
The statute is intended to regulate the business practices of architects by establishing a code of professional conduct.
-
to adjust to some standard or requirement, as amount, degree, etc..
A film was applied to the windows to help regulate the temperature and reduce glare.
- Synonyms:
- set
-
to adjust so as to ensure accuracy of operation.
If the watch is consistently off, it can be fixed relatively simply by regulating the beat rate.
-
to put or keep something in good order or within reasonable limits.
Playful interactions with adult caregivers help children develop the ability to regulate their emotions and behavior.
- Synonyms:
- balance
-
Biology. to adjust or adapt (a bodily process or function) in response to external stimuli.
-
Genetics. to control the expression of (a gene or genes).
verb
-
to adjust (the amount of heat, sound, etc, of something) as required; control
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to adjust (an instrument or appliance) so that it operates correctly
-
to bring into conformity with a rule, principle, or usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overregulateverb
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misregulateverb (used with object)
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preregulateverb (used with object)
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reregulateverb (used with object)
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nonregulatedadjective
-
nonregulativeadjective
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quasi-regulatedadjective
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regulativeadjective
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regulatoryadjective
-
unregulatedadjective
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unregulativeadjective
-
well-regulatedadjective
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regulativelyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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regulatesimple
-
regulatessimple
-
have regulatedperfect
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has regulatedperfect
-
am regulatingprogressive
-
are regulatingprogressive
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is regulatingprogressive
-
have been regulatingperfect progressive
-
has been regulatingperfect progressive
Past
-
regulatedsimple
-
had regulatedperfect
-
was regulatingprogressive
-
were regulatingprogressive
-
had been regulatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of regulate
First recorded in 1620–30, from Late Latin rēgulātus (past participle of rēgulāre “to direct”); see regula, -ate 1
Explanation
The on-off spigot regulates the flow of water into your bathtub. When a government regulates an industry, they set standards the industry must follow. To regulate means to impose control. Regulate shares a root with the word, regular. When the transit authority regulates a train schedule, it makes sure trains arrive on a more regular schedule. The pharmaceutical industry is heavily regulated –– before a drug can be marketed, it must be tested. On a more personal level, if you want to regulate your digestive system, try eating more fiber... or prunes!
Vocabulary lists containing regulate
Florida EOC Civics
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The Articles of Confederation (1777)
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This Week In Words: September 5–11, 2020
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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:
The BDA also said the regulatory regime in Northern Ireland is "falling short" because of RQIA's "inability to regulate certain premises where the practice of dentistry is being carried out".
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
But the reaction was markedly different among the politicians with the authority to regulate the industry.
From Barron's ● Sep. 13, 2026
Sudmant, meanwhile, is focusing more closely on how those cells regulate their immune responses.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
After years of limited actions, dozens of lawmakers are now touting new proposals to regulate artificial-intelligence models that have stepped up their capabilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
They regulate lots of its functions—filtering blood, producing hormones, helping to control blood pressure, and removing waste from the body.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
Brighthouse’s insurance business is based in Delaware, the state that also regulates the two Walter insurance companies under investigation, Delaware Life and Clear Spring Life and Annuity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Department of Transportation attaching itself to a series paid for by companies it regulates, including United Airlines, Chase Travel, Toyota, Boeing and Royal Caribbean.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
"The important thing is we've got a system which regulates universities on outcomes," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Earlier treatment strategies tried to raise glycine levels by blocking GlyT1, another transporter that regulates glycine.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
He ran a test on one of their neurotransmitters that regulates dopamine, which in turn is associated with attention.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Loosely regulated or unregulated products, including injectable peptides, can spread quickly through communities on Reddit, TikTok and other platforms.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
While the warning isn’t likely to affect Anthropic’s plans to go public, according to experts, it could have implications for how the company will be run and how AI will be regulated in the future.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Many rely on cheap and poorly regulated boats and ships for transport between the country's more than 7,000 islands, despite regular accidents.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
“These are all highly regulated industries,” Abhas Ricky, Cloudera’s chief business officer and general manager for applied AI, said in an interview.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The attitude of America toward this boy regulated his most intimate dealings with his own kind.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
In the meantime, Norway's capital Oslo banned the glasses in schools this week as the government mulls regulating their use and considers a ban on features that enable facial recognition in public.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
"Unlike most of the medical products we're used to regulating, these products continue to change after the point of authorization," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
These brain regions are involved in reward processing and in regulating the timing between heartbeats, a measure known as heart rate variability.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026
Americans are repeatedly encouraged to scrutinize what is in their food, who made it and whether the institutions responsible for regulating it can be trusted.
From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026
Dr. Gonzagaga reread all the laws regulating androids.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
