mandate

1 of 2

noun

man·​date ˈman-ˌdāt 

1

: an authoritative command

especially : a formal order from a superior court or official to an inferior one

2

: an authorization to act given to a representative

accepted the mandate of the people

3

a

: an order or commission granted by the League of Nations to a member nation for the establishment of a responsible government over a former German colony or other conquered territory

b

: a mandated territory

mandate

2 of 2

verb

man·​date ˈman-ˌdāt 

mandated; mandating

transitive verb

1

: to administer or assign (something, such as a territory) under a mandate

2

: to officially require (something) : make (something) mandatory : order

a law mandating recycling

also : to direct or require (someone) to do something

a commission mandated to investigate corruption

Did you know?

When should you use mandate?

A mandate from a leader is a command you can't refuse. But that kind of personal command is rarely the meaning of mandate today; much more common are connected with institutions. Thus, the Clean Air Act was a mandate from Congress to clean up air pollution—and since mandate is also a verb, we could say instead that the Clear Air Act mandated new restrictions on air pollution. Elections are often interpreted as mandates from the public for certain kinds of action. But since a politician is not just a symbol of certain policies but also an individual who might happen to have an awfully nice smile, it can be risky to interpret most elections as mandating anything at all.

Synonyms

Noun

• accreditation
• authorization
• commission
• delegation
• empowerment
• license
• licence

Verb

• call
• command
• decree
• dictate
• direct
• ordain
• order

Examples of mandate in a Sentence

Noun

Sports fans have considerable forbearance. Year after year they endure escalating ticket prices, the abomination known as seat licensing and the implied mandate that taxpayers should foot the bill for the new stadium or arena that will absolutely revive downtown. —Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, 30 July 2007

All provisions requiring congressional approval, such as FDA regulation, were dropped, as were mandates for stronger package warnings, tighter enforcement on sales to youth, stronger public smoking bans, and … provisions to reduce youth smoking. —Allan M. Brandt, The Cigarette Century, 2007

Not the least of the Governors' problems are the new mandates being put on them by Washington—by a President who was once one of their own. —Karen Tumulty, Time, 19 May 2003

Royal mandates must be obeyed.

They carried out the governor's mandate to build more roads.

He won the election so convincingly that he believed he had been given a mandate for change.

Verb

The carbon prices on the European exchanges are higher precisely because the allowances for carbon emissions are mandated by government. —Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth, 2006

But the FDA did nothing. Later, it protested that it doesn't have the authority to mandate additional studies once a drug is marketed, but that is sophistry. The FDA has the authority to pull drugs off the market … —Marcia Angell, New York Review of Books, 8 June 2006

For a few tantalizing weeks this spring, the manufacturers of gun safety locks seemed to have hit the jackpot: the gun-control bill passed by the Senate in the wake of the Littleton shootings mandated that all new handguns be equipped with safety locks. —Calvin Trillin, Time, 5 July 1999

The law mandates that every car have seat belts.

He won the election so convincingly that he believed the people had mandated him to carry out his policies.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Resolving the strike would provide a boost to Ortberg, who joined Boeing in August with a mandate to revamp operations. —Vivek Wadhwa, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2024

Later, the board grappled with dissent from various members on when to repeal the mandate. —Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 19 Oct. 2024

Verb

Jurisdictions from China to Brazil, Japan and the UK are mandating that companies demonstrate their understanding of, and report on, the risks to their business from climate change. —Felicia Jackson, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024

Like McIntosh, Hunt, 65, is a grassroots political activist who still attends public meetings and protests in a face mask to guard against COVID-19, drawing eye rolls from McIntosh, who protested mask and vaccine mandates while Trump was president. —Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle French & Latin; Middle French mandat, from Latin mandatum, from neuter of mandatus, past participle of mandare to entrust, enjoin, probably irregular from manus hand + -dere to put — more at manual, do

First Known Use

Noun

1521, in the meaning defined at sense 21

Verb

1920, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

mandate

1 of 2 noun

man·​date ˈman-ˌdāt 

1

: an order from a higher court to a lower court

2

a

: an authoritative command, instruction, or direction

b

: authorization or approval given to a representative especially by voters

accepted the mandate of the people

3

a

: a commission granted by the League of Nations to a member nation to administer a territory on its behalf

b

: a mandated territory

mandate

2 of 2 verb

mandated; mandating

1

: to administer or assign a territory under a mandate

2

: to make mandatory : order, command

Legal Definition

mandate

1 of 2 noun

man·​date ˈman-ˌdāt 

1

a

: a formal communication from a reviewing court notifying the court below of its judgment and directing the lower court to act accordingly

b

: mandamus

2

in the civil law of Louisiana : an act by which a person gives another person the power to transact for him or her one or several affairs

3

a

: an authoritative command : a clear authorization or direction

the mandate of the full faith and credit clause

—National Law Journal

b

: the authorization to act given by a constituency to its elected representative

mandate

2 of 2 transitive verb

mandated; mandating

: to make mandatory or required

the Pennsylvania Constitution mandates a criminal defendant's right to confrontation

—National Law Journal

Etymology

Noun

Latin mandatum, from neuter of mandatus, past participle of mandare to entrust, enjoin, probably irregularly from manus hand + -dere to put