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
Most sports have legislated against transgender athletes’ participation at both the elite and grassroots levels, among them the Rugby Football Union, the England and Wales Cricket Board, British Cycling, UK Athletics and British Triathlon.
—
Katie Whyatt, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Instead of legislating against the U.S.’s greatest businesses, Lee and other members of the U.S. political class should be removing barriers to their ability to innovate, and in the process freeing them to find a future of advertising that history says will not resemble the one of the present.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
During a January hearing on DEI initiatives, Toews told lawmakers that he was drawn to legislating on the issue in part because of a story his daughter, a university student in Idaho, told him about a classmate.
—Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 11 Apr. 2025
That the Founders placed the power to tax, tariff, and legislate in the hands of the legislature, instead of the executive, was not an accident.
—The Editors, National Review, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legislate
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Katie Whyatt, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Instead of legislating against the U.S.’s greatest businesses, Lee and other members of the U.S. political class should be removing barriers to their ability to innovate, and in the process freeing them to find a future of advertising that history says will not resemble the one of the present.
—John Tamny, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
During a January hearing on DEI initiatives, Toews told lawmakers that he was drawn to legislating on the issue in part because of a story his daughter, a university student in Idaho, told him about a classmate.
—Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 11 Apr. 2025
That the Founders placed the power to tax, tariff, and legislate in the hands of the legislature, instead of the executive, was not an accident.
—The Editors, National Review, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legislate
Cite this Entry
“Legislate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/legislate. Accessed 8 May. 2025.
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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