legislate
verb (used without object)
to exercise the function of legislation; make or enact laws.
was legislating
-
past progressiveof legislate.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
By 1867, Congress was legislating on the subject, creating a federal Department of Education to work alongside the Freedmen’s Bureau and continue its work after the bureau inevitably wound down.
From Slate ● Feb. 6, 2025
Indeed, this defect bears witness to the fact that Congress was legislating, not for actual, but for hypothetical communities.
From Stephen A. Douglas A Study in American Politics by Allen Johnson
Instead of clinging to the naïve belief that Plato was legislating for all mankind, you can discuss his plans as a temporary superstructure made for an historical purpose.
From A Preface to Politics by Walter Lippmann
The same Demetrius, when he was legislating himself, decreed each of these women a drachma per diem.
From Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans by Arthur Hugh Clough
Broadly speaking, it was less desired in Ireland than in Great Britain; and even for Great Britain Mr. Lloyd George was legislating in advance of public opinion rather than in response to it.
From John Redmond's Last Years by Stephen Lucius Gwynn
