Adjacent Words

Regulate definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

REG'ULATE, v.t.
1. To adjust by rule, method or established mode; as, to regulate weights and measures; to regulate the assize of bread; to regulate our moral conduct by the laws of God and of society; to regulate our manners by the customary forms.
2. To put in good order; as, to regulate the disordered state of a nation or its finances.
3. To subject to rules or restrictions; as, to regulate trade; to regulate diet.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of; "regulate the temperature"; "modulate the pitch" [syn: regulate, modulate]
2: bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations; "We cannot regulate the way people dress"; "This town likes to regulate" [syn: regulate, regularize, regularise, order, govern] [ant: deregulate]
3: shape or influence; give direction to; "experience often determines ability"; "mold public opinion" [syn: determine, shape, mold, influence, regulate]
4: check the emission of (sound) [syn: baffle, regulate]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (-lated; -lating) Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin regulatus, past participle of regulare, from Latin regula rule Date: 15th century 1. a. to govern or direct according to rule b. (1) to bring under the control of law or constituted authority (2) to make regulations for or concerning <regulate the industries of a country> 2. to bring order, method, or uniformity to <regulate one's habits> 3. to fix or adjust the time, amount, degree, or rate of <regulate the pressure of a tire> • regulative adjective • regulatory adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 control by rule. 2 subject to restrictions. 3 adapt to requirements. 4 alter the speed of (a machine or clock) so that it may work accurately. Derivatives: regulative adj. regulator n. regulatory adj. Etymology: LL regulare regulat- f. L regula RULE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Regulate Reg"u*late (-l[=a]t), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Regulated (-l[=a]`t[e^]d); p. pr. & vb. n. Regulating.] [L. regulatus, p. p. of regulare, fr. regula. See Regular.] 1. To adjust by rule, method, or established mode; to direct by rule or restriction; to subject to governing principles or laws. The laws which regulate the successions of the seasons. --Macaulay. The herdsmen near the frontier adjudicated their own disputes, and regulated their own police. --Bancroft. 2. To put in good order; as, to regulate the disordered state of a nation or its finances. 3. To adjust, or maintain, with respect to a desired rate, degree, or condition; as, to regulate the temperature of a room, the pressure of steam, the speed of a machine, etc. To regulate a watch or clock, to adjust its rate of running so that it will keep approximately standard time. Syn: To adjust; dispose; methodize; arrange; direct; order; rule; govern.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(regulates, regulating, regulated) To regulate an activity or process means to control it, especially by means of rules. The powers of the European Commission to regulate competition are increasing... VERB: V n • regulated ...a planned, state-regulated economy... ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Methodize, dispose, adjust, arrange, order, systematize, reduce to method, adjust by rule, put in order, keep in order. 2. Direct, order, manage, govern, conduct, guide, rule.

Moby Thesaurus

abate, accommodate, accord, adapt, adjust, adjust to, administer, administrate, alter, arrange, array, assimilate, assimilate to, assuage, attune, authorize, balance, be master, be responsible for, box in, call the shots, call the signals, captain, carry on, chair, chart, circumscribe, codify, command, condition, conduct, constitute, control, cool off, coordinate, cut to, damp, decide, declare lawful, decree, deploy, determine, diminish, direct, discipline, dispose, enact, engineer, equalize, equilibrize, establish, even, fit, fix, flatten, form, formulate, gear to, govern, grade, guide, handle, harmonize, head, head up, hedge, hedge about, hierarchize, homogenize, homologate, homologize, key to, lay out, lead, lead on, leaven, legalize, legislate, legitimate, legitimatize, legitimize, level, limit, line up, maintain, make a regulation, make legal, make plumb, make the rules, make uniform, manage, maneuver, manipulate, marshal, mastermind, measure, methodize, mitigate, moderate, modify, modulate, monitor, narrow, normalize, officer, operate, ordain, order, organize, oversee, pacify, palliate, plan, prescribe, preside over, proportion, pull the strings, put in force, put in tune, qualify, quarterback, quiet, rank, rationalize, reconcile, rectify, reduce, regularize, regulate by, restrain, restrict, right, routinize, rule, run, sanction, season, set, set conditions, set limits, set right, set up, settle, similarize, skipper, smooth, soften, stabilize, stand over, standardize, steer, stereotype, structure, superintend, supervise, symmetrize, sync, synchronize, systematize, tailor, take command, take the lead, temper, tranquilize, trim to, true, true up, tune, tune up, uniformize, validate, wear the pants, wield authority