What does "stipulate" mean?
To require (something) as a condition of a contract or agreement.
Stipulate
/ˈstɪpjuˌleɪt/ adj, verb
adj, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To require (something) as a condition of a contract or agreement.
- Grammar: stipulate is listed as adj, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: specify, agree, agree to, asked.
- Useful contrasts: exstipulate, concede, disregard.
- Usage evidence: If you stipulate that these things are true, I will sign the contract.
How to use "stipulate"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stipulate" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stipulate" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stipulate" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stipulate" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "stipulate" is acting as adj, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "specify" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "stipulate", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To require (something) as a condition of a contract or agreement. transitive
"In general, steel springs were stipulated for primary suspension, although rubber was accepted for auxiliary springing; hydraulic dampers were specified and the use of laminated springs ruled out."
- 2 make an oral contract or agreement in the verbal form of question and answer that is necessary to give it legal force wordnet
- 3 To specify, promise or guarantee something in an agreement. transitive
"Out of special love and affection they stipulate that the survivor shall remain in full possession and use the entire temporal estate which they leave behind and none of the heirs shall demand an account or proof or balance so that the survivor may manage the estate in the manner he or she thinks best."
- 4 specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement wordnet
- 5 To acknowledge the truth of; not to challenge. US, formal, transitive
"The defense stipulates that the witness has identified my client."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 give a guarantee or promise of wordnet
- 7 To ask for a contractual term. intransitive
"Although another person cannot stipulate for us, yet in our stipulations we can associate with ourselves another person who stipulates for the same performance, and is called an adstipulator."
- 8 To mutually agree. formal, intransitive
"Parties stipulate to serve discovery and notice discovery depositions no later than 45 days after the opening of discovery, and to respond to discovery within 30 days and take discovery depositions no later than the closing date of discovery."
Adjective
- 1 Having stipules; that is, having outgrowths borne on either side of the base of the leafstalk. not-comparable
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"If you stipulate that these things are true, I will sign the contract."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stipulate"?
Common synonyms include: specify, agree, agree to, asked, assign, attach a condition.
How do you use "stipulate" in a sentence?
If you stipulate that these things are true, I will sign the contract.
How do you pronounce "stipulate"?
Pronounced /ˈstɪpjuˌleɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Latin stipulātus, perfect active participle of stipulor (“to demand a formal promise, stipulate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Etymology 2
From stipule + -ate (adjective-forming suffix).