self-regulate

verb

self-reg·​u·​late ˌself-ˈre-gyə-ˌlāt 

 also  -ˈrā-

self-regulated; self-regulating; self-regulates

1

intransitive : to regulate oneself or itself

allowing markets to self-regulate

… noted the overwhelming lack of public trust in the financial services industry's ability to self-regulate effectively …

—Sally Rose

The idea is that the kids learn how to manage and self-regulate.

—Cheyenne Derksen Schroeder

2

transitive : to control or govern (something) for or by oneself

… was hired by the motion picture industry to head up a new body to self-regulate the movies.

—Katharine Monk

the ability of the child to self-regulate her behavior

… a horse who is permitted to self-regulate his intake will eat only what his body needs.

—Juliet M. Getty

self-regulative

ˌself-ˈre-gyə-ˌlā-tiv 

 also  -ˈrā-

adjective

self-regulative processes

Examples of self-regulate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Such partners are able to self-regulate, while offering you the space and support to do the same. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

Seeing how each drug altered neural behavior in real time, the researchers discovered that carbamazepine 200 µM had a significant impact on how the neurons responded, self-regulated and adjusted. —New Atlas, 26 June 2025

The industry had to be taught to properly self-regulate, and while Hays’s MPPDA rules, already three years old, symbolized a start, a stricter set of guidelines was needed. —Literary Hub, 24 June 2025

Elements such as temperature range, self-regulating technology features, and settings that offered maximum control played a big factor in our testing, as well as hair-healthy materials used in heated plates or curling rods. —Olivia Cigliano, Footwear News, 12 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for self-regulate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate