as in to order
to request the doing of by virtue of one's authority
dictated that the terms of surrender be negotiated by his senior staff
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in order
a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned
a starchily worded dictate from on high concerning the company's dress code
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dictate
Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2025
Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber have vowed to fight Trump’s order, arguing the President lacks authority to dictate how states administer elections.
—Jenavieve Hatch, Sacbee.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2025
State of play: A 1922 compact dictates how much water each state is entitled to, but levels have consistently fallen short of the amount of water that agreement anticipated.
—Jeremy Duda, Axios, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictate
Verb
And its goal would be not to dictate terms but to help regional states recognize how unchecked ties with China could eventually undermine their strategic autonomy.
—Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2025
Attorney General Rob Bonta and Secretary of State Shirley Weber have vowed to fight Trump’s order, arguing the President lacks authority to dictate how states administer elections.
—Jenavieve Hatch, Sacbee.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Noun
Davis played a key role carrying out Musk’s dictates after Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, bought San Francisco social media platform Twitter in 2022, according to a lawsuit filed by former employees against the company.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2025
State of play: A 1922 compact dictates how much water each state is entitled to, but levels have consistently fallen short of the amount of water that agreement anticipated.
—Jeremy Duda, Axios, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictate
Verb
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On Friday, a federal judge halted plans to fire more than 1,200 journalists, engineers and other staff who were sidelined after Trump ordered a funding cut.—
Calvin Woodward,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2025
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Each of the drug lords was sentenced to 40 years in Mexican prison, though a judge ordered Caro Quintero released in 2013 on a technicality.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Through the years, North talked about his experiences as a child actor, saying producers were most interested in obtaining a performance out of him while his schooling was neglected, despite California laws requiring three hours of instruction a day for child actors.—
Stacy Perman,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2025
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Next, Henrique simply told Copilot to organize the notes—no need for specific instructions.—
Michael Muchmore,
PC Magazine,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
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After requesting and being granted his release from the Professional Fighters League, Pitbull signed with the UFC and has landed a major fight on one of the year’s biggest cards.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Anyone will information on the incident is requested to contact the Anchorage Police Department at 311 or 907-786-8900.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
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This included when one circuit asked fans of Minions: The Rise of Gru to stop throwing bananas (talk about a slippery slope!).—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
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Big Sean was faced with a difficult decision when he was asked to pick between his two favorite rappers, Eminem and Lil Wayne.—
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady,
Billboard,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The changes outlined in the memo could deal another setback to the ranks of the department’s most experienced nonpolitical career prosecutors, who have been subjected to a wave of firings, forced transfers and policy edicts since Mr. Trump’s inauguration.—
Devlin Barrett,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
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Such wasn’t the case for other pages involving minorities and women, because the department said those pages violated the Trump administration’s edict against DEI, which stands for diversity, equity and inclusion.—
Terence Moore,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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According to the International Cable Protection Committee, whose members represent over 98% of global submarine telecommunications cable infrastructure, cables at 4,000-meter depths are not typically armored or fortified in a way that would require such advanced cable-cutting technology.—
Jill Goldenziel,
Forbes.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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Using technology, where fans using the app will be required to provide their contact information and the school will use it to contact them with future news and promotions from the athletic department, brings a different outlook that Coastal Carolina is hoping pays off.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Everybody's involved in this war and struggle, and some are pulling in different directions.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Focus on short-term gains instead of purpose and long-term goals so the lack of direction creates even more ambiguity.—
Csaba Toth,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The country’s ruling coalition government collapsed earlier in the year amid infighting over European Union energy directives.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2025
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The Mangione case is the first high-profile one to come under his administration's directive, Lain said; however, the federal death row landscape has changed dramatically since Mr. Trump's first term — and the appetite for executions nationwide has plummeted.—
Cara Tabachnick,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictate. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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