Regulate

//ˈɹɛɡjəleɪt// verb

verb ·Common ·High school level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To dictate policy.
  2. 2
    restrain the emission of (sound, fluid, etc.) wordnet
  3. 3
    To control or direct according to rule, principle, or law.

    "the laws which regulate the succession of the seasons"

  4. 4
    fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of wordnet
  5. 5
    To adjust (a mechanism) for accurate and proper functioning.

    "to regulate a watch, i.e. adjust its rate of running so that it will keep approximately standard time"

Show 3 more definitions
  1. 6
    shape or influence; give direction to wordnet
  2. 7
    To put or maintain in order.

    "to regulate the disordered state of a nation or its finances"

  3. 8
    bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
determineabateaccommodateaccordadaptadjust

Example

More examples

"Traffic lights are used to regulate traffic."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin regulatus, perfect passive participle of regulō (“to direct, rule, regulate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from regula (“rule”), from regō (“to keep straight, direct, govern, rule”). Compare regle, rail. Displaced native Old English metegian.

Related phrases

self-regulateself-regulating

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.