regulate
verb
reg·u·late
ˈre-gyə-ˌlāt 
also ˈrā-
regulated; regulating
1
a
: to govern or direct according to rule
b(1)
: to bring under the control of law or constituted authority
(2)
: to make regulations for or concerning
regulate the industries of a country
2
: to bring order, method, or uniformity to
regulate one's habits
3
: to fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of
regulate the pressure of a tire
Synonyms
Examples of regulate in a Sentence
The dam regulates the flow of water into the river.
We need better laws to regulate the content of the Internet.
Laws have been made to regulate working conditions.
The government regulates how much lead may be found in our water supply.
The department regulates foreign trade.
Recent Examples on the Web
These rules would have allowed the FCC to regulate how internet service providers are able to allocate data speeds, requiring them to treat all internet traffic equally, regardless of purpose.
—
Donald Kimball, National Review, 2 Feb. 2025
Trump leveraged the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which grants the president broad authority to regulate a multitude of economic transactions including trade with other countries following the declaration of a national emergency.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 2 Feb. 2025
What to know about how the Historic Zoning Commission works
HDR Engineering, the firm that completed the review, developed its findings in part by interviewing roughly two dozen people with insight about the commission’s process for regulating historic preservation efforts.
—Austin Hornbostel, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2025
Chopra was appointed in 2021 by former President Joe Biden to serve as director of the bureau that regulates financial agencies.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for regulate 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Donald Kimball, National Review, 2 Feb. 2025
Trump leveraged the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which grants the president broad authority to regulate a multitude of economic transactions including trade with other countries following the declaration of a national emergency.
—Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 2 Feb. 2025
What to know about how the Historic Zoning Commission works
HDR Engineering, the firm that completed the review, developed its findings in part by interviewing roughly two dozen people with insight about the commission’s process for regulating historic preservation efforts.
—Austin Hornbostel, USA TODAY, 1 Feb. 2025
Chopra was appointed in 2021 by former President Joe Biden to serve as director of the bureau that regulates financial agencies.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 1 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for regulate
Dictionary Entries Near regulate
Cite this Entry
“Regulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regulate. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
regulate
verb
reg·u·late
ˈreg-yə-ˌlāt
regulated; regulating
1
a
: to govern or direct according to rule
b
: to bring under the control of authority
regulate prices
2
: to bring order or method to
regulate one's habits
3
: to fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of
regulate the pressure of a tire
the brain regulates the heartbeat
regulator
noun
-ˌlāt-ər
Etymology
from Latin regulatus, past participle of regulare "to regulate, direct," from regula "a rule, straightedge" — related to rail entry 1, regent, rule
Medical Definition
regulate
transitive verb
reg·u·late
ˈreg-yə-ˌlāt
regulated; regulating
1
: to control or direct according to rule or law
regulate the testing of experimental drugs
2
: to fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of
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