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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dictate
Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 29 May 2025
The defending champion and Olympic gold medalist was masterful at point guard, dictating tempo and powering a transition attack that rolled up 21 fast-break points.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 28 May 2025
Jessie Sage, Rolling Stone, 14 Dec. 2024
Too many leaders seek to lead down by being authoritative, by pushing dictates on people and relentlessly driving forward toward arbitrary goals and deadlines.
—Andrew Deutscher, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictate
Verb
In other words, the large distance physics can dictate backwards what’s going on at shorter scales, which is not like what usually happens in quantum field theories.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 29 May 2025
The defending champion and Olympic gold medalist was masterful at point guard, dictating tempo and powering a transition attack that rolled up 21 fast-break points.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 28 May 2025
Noun
OnlyFans models are independent creators who, for the most part, run their businesses according to their own dictates.
—Jessie Sage, Rolling Stone, 14 Dec. 2024
Too many leaders seek to lead down by being authoritative, by pushing dictates on people and relentlessly driving forward toward arbitrary goals and deadlines.
—Andrew Deutscher, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dictate
Verb
-
What Happens Next The CIT has ordered the government to halt the tariffs imposed under the IEEPA within 10 calendar days of the decision.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 May 2025
-
As part of his administration’s campaign against DEI programs, Trump has also ordered federal agencies, including FERC, to stop considering environmental justice in decision-making.—
John Moritz,
Hartford Courant,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
The only instructions for the theater audience that night will be to get their butts in the seats before curtain.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
6 June 2025
-
Residents were advised to heed official warnings throughout the severe weather cycle and stay alert for any additional storm advisories or emergency instructions.—
Barney Henderson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
Verb
-
Outside researchers can request access to VSD data by submitting study proposals to the CDC.—
Beth Mole,
ArsTechnica,
6 June 2025
-
Banerjee did not respond to emails requesting comment from The Bee.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
-
Think about the vast difference between typing in keywords to get hyperlinks, and simply asking an intelligent entity a question.—
John Werner,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
-
The response from her daughter was electric, and people began to comment on the fun design and ask about her interest in ballet.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
Even states seen as safer for LGBTQ+ people have been navigating these edicts around trans athletes.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
-
The edict: get as many AI features into the operating system as possible.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
19 May 2025
Verb
-
Amorim requires a new centre forward to lead the line, but has missed out on landing Liam Delap after the Ipswich Town striker reportedly decided to join Chelsea instead.—
Graham Ruthven,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
-
While there's a growing list of commercially viable markets in space (things like Starlink and satellite servicing wouldn't have been money-makers 20 years ago), the market for human spaceflight still requires some level of government commitment.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
This would entail Lopez heading to the English capital and Christopher Nkunku travelling in the opposite direction to its Catalan counterpart.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
-
His regular-season numbers are astonishing, but so are his postseason stats… in the opposite direction.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
The transgender junior from Jurupa Valley High School — who competed despite a directive from Trump that she be barred from doing so — won state titles in the girls’ triple jump and the girls’ high jump and took second place in the girls’ long jump.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2025
-
The guidance change blindsided the CDC, which did not receive a directive to alter its recommendations until hours after Kennedy's video posted.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dictate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dictate. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share