legislate
verb
leg·is·late
ˈle-jə-ˌslāt 
legislated; legislating
: to perform the function of legislation
specifically
: to make or enact laws
: to mandate, establish, or regulate by or as if by legislation
Examples of legislate in a Sentence
They are attempting to legislate morality.
the need to better legislate foreign trade
trying to legislate changes in the current law
Recent Examples on the Web
Partial eclipse of the Senate Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore City Democrat, adjourned one of Monday’s many floor sessions minutes before the partial eclipse reached its apex, giving senators a brief reprieve from legislating.
—
Sam Janesch, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2024
Fast food may be a tough habit to legislate away, though.
—Brian Gallagher, New York Times, 12 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for legislate 
Sam Janesch, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2024
Fast food may be a tough habit to legislate away, though.
—Brian Gallagher, New York Times, 12 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for legislate
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'legislate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near legislate
Cite this Entry
“Legislate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legislate. Accessed 2 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
legislate
verb
leg·is·late
ˈlej-ə-ˌslāt
legislated; legislating
1
: to make laws
the constitutional power to legislate
2
: to cause, establish, or regulate by legislation
legislating foreign trade
Legal Definition
legislate
verb
leg·is·late
ˈle-jəs-ˌlāt
legislated; legislating
: to perform the function of legislation
specifically
: to make or enact laws
: to cause, create, provide, or bring about by legislation
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