How to Use dictate in a Sentence

dictate

1 of 2 verb
  • The basket's function dictates its size and shape.
  • Tradition dictates that the youngest member should go first.
  • They insisted on being able to dictate the terms of surrender.
  • She's dictating a letter to her secretary.
  • The fans will dictate when the show ends.
    — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 19 May 2026
  • That the Rays did not dictate all the terms of this prenup.
    — John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
  • The math dictated the car choice, and the math worked.
    — Ryan Brennan march 6, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The size of your target will dictate which archery stand is best for you.
    — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
  • At this point in the season, a loss does not dictate the rest of the year.
    — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
  • If two pieces land on the same spot, the passage cards dictate who gets points.
    — Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2023
  • Coast Guard rules dictate that a lookout must be on board.
    — David Goodhue october 31, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Are the Rapids built to dictate games or react to them?
    — Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 21 Feb. 2026
  • My job is not to tell or dictate or get involved in those tactics.
    — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Some think the decision should be theirs, not a school dictate.
    — Donna St. George, Anchorage Daily News, 10 May 2023
  • But the final three runs would dictate which color.
    — Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 17 Feb. 2026
  • For now, their lives are dictated by their worries.
    — Camila Gomez, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2026
  • One game does not dictate an entire season.
    — Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Still, the Church knows its place, Leo says, and does not wish to dictate.
    — Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 25 May 2026
  • Few peers use it and nailing it seems to often dictate how the rest of her skate will go.
    — Brittany Ghiroli, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2026
  • The salaries are dictated by the teachers union.
    — Sequoia Carrillo, NPR, 15 Oct. 2025
  • Experts agree that age shouldn’t dictate your haircut.
    — Audrey Noble, InStyle, 10 Feb. 2026
  • How dialysis no longer dictates his nights.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Some are more overtly trapped in debt bondage, tied to loans from scrap dealers who dictate prices and terms.
    — CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Your mom does not get to dictate what the conversation is.
    — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
  • Fultz asked jurors not to let their emotions dictate the outcome of the case.
    — Selina Guevara, NBC news, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Places like this change every year, dictated by the events of the year itself.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 1 Jan. 2026
  • Pressing it allows users to dictate messages or record quick voice notes.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 Jan. 2026
  • Washington state law dictates guns must be stored out of reach of children.
    — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Then, if there is a profit, dictate how to split that profit between the three of you.
    — Ilyce Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin, Chicago Tribune, 14 Sep. 2023
  • Face rollers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, which can dictate where and how they're used on the face.
    — Deanna Pai, Glamour, 6 Oct. 2023

dictate

2 of 2 noun
  • The tone and depth of voice dictates which bright neon color lights up each arch.
    — Allison Bagley, Houston Chronicle, 17 Jan. 2018
  • Apart from the dictates of school and business calendars, people don't want to be tied down.
    — Town & Country, 6 Dec. 2012
  • The gate agent has supreme power of seating assignments for every flight and dictates who sits where.
    — Christopher Tkaczyk, Travel + Leisure, 16 Mar. 2023
  • While many of these choices feature a high-rise waist, the approach, while flattering, is not a dictate.
    — Calin Van Paris, Peoplemag, 20 Dec. 2022
  • But that still leaves us time for one more first-round prognostication, which will be freshened through the week as news dictates.
    — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2017
  • The directors were given a handful of dictates.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2025
  • No businessman ever got rich running his shop solely by the dictates of his customers.
    — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, 11 Jan. 2018
  • The dictates of modesty called for floor-length dresses, and fashion demanded a full skirt beneath a tiny waist.
    — Lorraine Boissoneault, Smithsonian, 24 May 2018
  • Here’s what the rulebook dictates… and what Wellens actually said.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 5 May 2026
  • This cut comes with dictates—jaw-length or shorter, most often paired with bangs—but also leaves room for personalized play.
    — Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 1 Apr. 2026
  • But the mogul has never allowed himself to be hemmed in by the dictates of rationality.
    — Eric Levitz, Daily Intelligencer, 22 June 2017
  • As the trend dictates, bronze and smoky brown tones are blended onto the eyes, achieving a blurred effect that subtly highlights the glow.
    — María Munsuri, Glamour, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Her mandate was sounding less like the inspiration of a concerned partner, and more like the dictate of a prison guard.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Aug. 2021
  • Supply and demand dictate airfare -- airlines can't always raise fares to cover costs.
    — Chris Isidore, CNN, 27 July 2021
  • Following the dictates of rap stardom, Pras was never timid about showcasing the perks.
    — Michael Ames, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2023
  • In Texas, prices are supposed to be set by competition, not government dictates.
    — Dave Lieber, Dallas News, 13 Apr. 2023
  • The film pulses with sorrow and outrage over the absurdity of tyrannical dictates that crush souls.
    — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 May 2023
  • Jack’s barroom talk is a couple of sour jokes; his discussions with his family and friends are limited to the strictest dictates of the plot.
    — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2020
  • For many, this was a pilgrimage of faith — a kind of rejoinder to the high-tech dictates of hard facts that have left us so little room for magic and mystery.
    — Matt Bradley, NBC News, 28 Aug. 2023
  • Each airline is a small nation unto itself, with its own schedules and rhythms, but at the end of the day the control tower dictates who comes and goes, and when.
    — Gregory Pardlo, The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2017
  • Continuing to run towards the shooter as their training dictates, the officers were forced to step over a victim.
    — Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2023
  • The load of cucumbers seized from the Bottom Time was sold as state procedure dictates, Welch said.
    — Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Mar. 2018
  • Even if a play dictates pass interference, an uncatchable ball negates a penalty happening, which replay seemed to show in this case.
    — Scott Thompson, Fox News, 25 Oct. 2023
  • Currently, the league’s playing manual dictates that players should be on the field during the anthem, but does not require them to stand.
    — Dave Birkett, Detroit Free Press, 16 May 2018
  • And so began the choices that led to him becoming a conscientious objector to the dictates of rap stardom.
    — Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2017
  • Essentially, the deal was that the farmer would supply the chicken coop and care for the chickens according to the dictates of the company.
    — Thomas Heath, Washington Post, 12 July 2019
  • That is a worthy vision to promote, but it should not be confused with the dictates of free speech, which allows for a messier, more ill-mannered form of public discourse.
    — Thomas Healy, The Atlantic, 18 June 2017
  • Tradition dictates, in its birthplace of the Piedmont region of Italy, that tonnato is served with thin pieces of veal.
    — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 29 June 2026
  • Now, suddenly, some of his dictates are falling flat with fellow Republicans.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 20 Nov. 2025
  • The White House dictates; Puerto Rico enforces.
    — Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 16 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dictate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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