Alex Yannis
Synonyms
Examples of dictate in a Sentence
Hugh Morris, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Researchers don’t know how to reliably make the graphene electrodes, whose atomic level structure dictates device performance.
—IEEE Spectrum, 29 Mar. 2024
The treaty, critics say, would allow the WHO to dictate global public health policy.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 28 Mar. 2024
The previous owner would retain the rights to Life’s photography and content going back to the 1930s, as public domain laws dictate.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 28 Mar. 2024
Trust is not something that can be dictated by leadership – it should be continually nurtured through robust data, responsible AI use, and equitable enablement of teams.
—Aaron Reich, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The hours and minutes that dictate our days are determined by Earth’s rotation.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024
The Ascend program offers an installment plan pay structure for students—but don’t let the cost alone dictate its effectiveness.
—Hilary Tetenbaum, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
But there’s nothing laid-back about the show, which has an extraordinarily detailed script that dictates every overlap and movement with unusual precision.
—Gordon Cox, Variety, 20 Mar. 2024
John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
The key is to identify the print that fits your MO, regardless of what the trend du jour dictates.
—Ashley W. Simpson, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2024
His return could also depend on what the open market dictates.
—Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2024
But Tehran is not the puppet master, and the axis’s coherence and regional role reflects far more than Iran’s dictates.
—Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2024
Instead of specifying that the decisions, such as end-of-life, funeral, and burial arrangements, be handled in accordance with the dictates of a specified faith (a specification that will offend or upset other family or loved ones), consider a different approach.
—Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
Surprisingly enough, none of the men object to her dictates about dining and bedtimes.
—Joe Leydon, Variety, 3 Jan. 2024
Artists with the courage to challenge institutional dictates; music that felt small and real and occasionally unpresentable.
—Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 4 Dec. 2023
New York joins California and Illinois at the forefront of reparations efforts, a complicated endeavor that will immerse stakeholders in a contentious political and budgetary conversation about the past and its dictates for the future.
—Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023
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.
Word History
Verb
borrowed from Latin dictātus, past participle of dictāre "to say repeatedly, speak aloud words to be transcribed by another, issue as an order," frequentative of dīcere "to talk, speak, say, utter" — more at diction
Note: See note at dictator.
Noun
borrowed from Medieval Latin dictātum "something commanded" (Latin, in plural dictāta "lessons to be transcribed"), noun derivative from neuter of Latin dictātus, past participle of dictāre "to say repeatedly, say aloud words to be transcribed by another, issue as an order" — more at dictate entry 1
Verb
1577, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing dictate
Dictionary Entries Near dictate
Cite this Entry
“Dictate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictate. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
dictate
2 of 2 nounVerb
from Latin dictatus, past participle of dictare "to assert, dictate," from dicere "to say" — related to dictionary, predict, verdict
More from Merriam-Webster on dictate
Nglish: Translation of dictate for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of dictate for Arabic Speakers
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