self-regulation

noun

self-reg·​u·​la·​tion ˌself-ˌre-gyə-ˈlā-shən 

-ˌre-gə-,

 also  -ˌrā-

plural self-regulations

: the act or condition or an instance of regulating oneself or itself: such as

a

: control or supervision from within instead of by an external authority

the online marketing industry's self-regulation of consumer privacy protections

also : a rule imposed in self-regulation

Banks were left to largely manage themselves, and establish industry-wide self-regulations …

—Kevin Plummer

According to the Federal Trade Commission, food marketing cannot be false, deceptive or unfair. But there are other, more specific, self-regulations out there for ads related to kids.

—Alexandra Sifferlin

b

: the bringing of oneself or itself into a state of order, method, or uniformity

self-regulation of an ecosystem

emotional self-regulation

Examples of self-regulation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This suggests that its prosocial nature supports better health outcomes indirectly by fostering self-regulation and ethical decision-making. —Mark Travers, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

This study of industry self-regulation has not been and will not be done in a vacuum. —Eric Reicin, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024

Help Your Child Practice Self-Regulation All young children need adult coaching and repetitive practice to develop self-regulation and impulse control skills. —Emily Edlynn, Parents, 1 Nov. 2024

The critical concern, however, is that monitoring in global governance often functions as self-regulation by the member states themselves. —Majeed Javdani, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above