as in to permit
to make (something) legal
They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of legalize
It was transferred to PACs fighting a state ballot initiative to legalize marijuana.
—
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2025
The kingdom has already stirred some backlash for hosting international female performers, but legalizing alcohol would be a more controversial leap.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025
The controversy centers on the use of opioid settlement funds to finance an extensive advertising campaign against Amendment 3, a ballot measure aimed at legalizing recreational marijuana in Florida.
—Tribune Content Agency, Mercury News, 21 May 2025
Since the Russian invasion in February 2022 and the ongoing three-year conflict, Kyiv took steps to legalize medical cannabis in December 2023 to help address the rising public health challenges caused by the war.
—Dario Sabaghi, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for legalize
Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2025
The kingdom has already stirred some backlash for hosting international female performers, but legalizing alcohol would be a more controversial leap.
—Amira El-Fekki, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 May 2025
The controversy centers on the use of opioid settlement funds to finance an extensive advertising campaign against Amendment 3, a ballot measure aimed at legalizing recreational marijuana in Florida.
—Tribune Content Agency, Mercury News, 21 May 2025
Since the Russian invasion in February 2022 and the ongoing three-year conflict, Kyiv took steps to legalize medical cannabis in December 2023 to help address the rising public health challenges caused by the war.
—Dario Sabaghi, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for legalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legalize
Verb
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But even now, decades later, the U.S. has fewer missile interceptors deployed (44) than the treaty permitted (100).—
Matthew Bunn,
The Conversation,
6 June 2025
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Teams are permitted to have up to 35 players in their squad at the start of the tournament (and must have a minimum of 26).—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
Verb
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When the Church sanctions the exorcism of Emma Schmidt, two priests divided by doubt must confront a force beyond comprehension...and their own faith.—
Griff Griffin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
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Only 15 states have sanctioned girls flag football as a high school varsity sport.—
Shaela Foster,
Baltimore Sun,
22 May 2025
Verb
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The computer then decodes these signals, allowing Smith to move a cursor on the screen with his thoughts alone.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2025
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However, on May 19 the Supreme Court issued a ruling favoring the Trump administration by allowing the termination of TPS to proceed while the case is litigated.—
Verónica Egui Brito,
Miami Herald,
31 May 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, in the Trafalgar Group's latest poll, conducted May 30 to June 1, 54 percent of voters approved, while 46 percent disapproved—a net approval rating of +8.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 June 2025
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Since April, Chinese authorities have only approved about one-quarter of the hundreds of export license applications submitted, according to CLEPA.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Centralized registries could enable real-time tracking of donors.—
William A. Haseltine,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
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The access also frequently gives the hackers the ability to move throughout a customer’s network, enabling attacks on other cloud services and internal corporate networks.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
4 June 2025
Verb
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So great was the urgency to get the vaccine to kids that the FDA licensed it the same day.—
Brenda Goodman,
CNN Money,
5 June 2025
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If your long-term goal is to license your formula, attract investors or scale into mass retail, build your brand with those outcomes in mind.—
Alana Sandel,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Verb
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Ryan Bos, who has been executive director of DC’s Capital Pride Alliance since 2011, was thrilled when the group’s bid to host WorldPride was accepted in 2022.—
Susan Miller,
USA Today,
6 June 2025
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The two women had the criminal charges against them dropped at a court hearing last month, in which the prosecution accepted they had been duped and Emmanuel-Thomas changed his plea to guilty.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legalize. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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