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
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
College leaders don’t want to recognize the athletes as employees, but that comes at a cost: NCAA attempts to regulate the market in arguably logical ways swiftly face antitrust lawsuits.
—
Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Through its Kigali Amendment, the treaty now also targets powerful climate-warming gases.
CITES continues to regulate international wildlife trade, curbing the exploitation of endangered species and protecting biodiversity across the planet.
—Ingmar Rentzhog, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Adams said the city’s airspace is highly regulated, pilots are well-trained, and the aircraft are well maintained.
—Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Wide swaths of several wilderness areas, like the Boundary Waters, were included in that acreage total, and a map accompanying the order made no distinction between wilderness areas, where logging is banned, and non-wilderness national forest land, where logging is allowed but regulated.
—Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for regulate
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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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Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Through its Kigali Amendment, the treaty now also targets powerful climate-warming gases.
CITES continues to regulate international wildlife trade, curbing the exploitation of endangered species and protecting biodiversity across the planet.
—Ingmar Rentzhog, Forbes.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Adams said the city’s airspace is highly regulated, pilots are well-trained, and the aircraft are well maintained.
—Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Wide swaths of several wilderness areas, like the Boundary Waters, were included in that acreage total, and a map accompanying the order made no distinction between wilderness areas, where logging is banned, and non-wilderness national forest land, where logging is allowed but regulated.
—Jimmy Lovrien, Twin Cities, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for regulate
Cite this Entry
“Regulate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regulate. Accessed 22 Apr. 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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