as in sanctioned
to make (something) legal
They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.
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Dissimilar Words
as in legal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of legalized
Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Since the ruling, 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized sports betting in some form.
—Frank Pingue, Reuters, 25 Aug. 2025
Marijuana wouldn’t be legalized via a Schedule III designation, but criminal penalties would be reduced.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 24 Aug. 2025
The second case was filed by four businesses involved in marijuana production or distribution in Massachusetts, which has legalized marijuana.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
Briggs argued that without proper regulatory framework, retailers would continue to be able to sell products legalized in other states that are intoxicating.
—Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
Although other states have legalized the execution method, only Alabama and Louisiana have actually carried out executions using nitrogen.
—Arkansas Online, 21 Aug. 2025
Indiana sports wagering totals continue growing When Indiana legalized sports gambling in 2019, one of the key promises was job creation.
—Ethan Hylton, IndyStar, 20 Aug. 2025
It’s been decriminalized or legalized in a handful of states and cities, with New Mexico recently joining this list, creating a legal pathway for the medical use of psilocybin.
—Benjamin Adams, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Adjective
On-farm sales of raw milk were legalized in Illinois, with some restrictions, in 2016.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
Since the ruling, 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized sports betting in some form.
—Frank Pingue, Reuters, 25 Aug. 2025
Marijuana wouldn’t be legalized via a Schedule III designation, but criminal penalties would be reduced.
—Tara Suter, The Hill, 24 Aug. 2025
The second case was filed by four businesses involved in marijuana production or distribution in Massachusetts, which has legalized marijuana.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
Briggs argued that without proper regulatory framework, retailers would continue to be able to sell products legalized in other states that are intoxicating.
—Vivian Jones, The Tennessean, 21 Aug. 2025
Although other states have legalized the execution method, only Alabama and Louisiana have actually carried out executions using nitrogen.
—Arkansas Online, 21 Aug. 2025
Indiana sports wagering totals continue growing When Indiana legalized sports gambling in 2019, one of the key promises was job creation.
—Ethan Hylton, IndyStar, 20 Aug. 2025
It’s been decriminalized or legalized in a handful of states and cities, with New Mexico recently joining this list, creating a legal pathway for the medical use of psilocybin.
—Benjamin Adams, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legalized
Verb
-
Suarez, as of publication, has not yet been sanctioned by the league.—
Felipe Cardenas,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Fenway Sports Group sanctioned all of the three most expensive signings in the Premier League this summer, with Hugo Ekitike following Isak and Wirtz to Anfield for a relatively modest £79m ($106m) from Eintracht Frankfurt.—
Dan Cancian,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Real estate experts say claiming primary residences on different mortgages at the same time is often legal and rarely prosecuted.—
Robert Faturechi,
ProPublica,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The brutality of the Ukrainian frontline The challenges facing foreign volunteer fighters on the battlefield extend well beyond their legal label.—
Rebecca Johns,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Crawling and scraping of our site is not permitted.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Daniels continued to appear at council meetings, but was not permitted to participate.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The acquisition would provide Apple with an immediate AI search capability that could transform both Siri and Safari, giving the company a legitimate competitor to Google’s search dominance.—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
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After tragedies or natural disasters, fake nonprofits or misleading crowdfunding campaigns pop up online, siphoning donations away from legitimate causes.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Businesses or people that sell or deal in firearms are required to be federally licensed by the ATF — they’re known as a federal firearms licensee — and they are mandated to retain records about gun purchases and transfers.—
Mara H. Gottfried,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
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In a major step toward commercialization, ORNL licensed five patented technologies, known as Safe Impact Resistant Electrolytes (SAFIRE), to the battery startup Safire Technology Group in 2022.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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This is a lawful order to LEAVE NOW.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Under federal immigration law, lawful permanent residents convicted of these types of crimes can lose their legal status and be removed.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On Thursday, a Missouri House special committee on redistricting approved a plan, 10 to 4 along party lines.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
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Bathroom regulations for government buildings Texas Lawmakers approved legislation regulating which bathrooms people use in government buildings, sending the bill to Abbott.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Born three months premature, the quads spent about 10 weeks in the hospital in Boston before three of them were allowed to go home.—
Jeff Truesdell,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Murders on public transit like that of Iryna Zarutska should never be allowed to happen again.—
Adeola Adeosun
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legalized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legalized. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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