dictate
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to say words out loud so that another person can write them down or a machine can record them.
v.to utter words aloud for another person or a device to transcribe. Transitive or intransitive use.
Simple“The manager sat at her desk to dictate a formal letter to her assistant.”
In context“Before the advent of modern email, executives would frequently dictate their entire daily correspondence to a stenographer for later typing.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to tell someone exactly what they must do in a firm or bossy way.
v.to give orders authoritatively or dogmatically. Often implies an imbalance of power or an overbearing manner.
Simple“You cannot dictate how I spend my own money.”
In context“The occupying force attempted to dictate every aspect of local life, from market prices to evening curfews.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to control or influence how something happens.
v.to determine or decisively affect the nature or outcome of a situation.
Simple“Common sense should dictate that you wear a coat in the snow.”
In context“Market forces usually dictate the price of goods, regardless of what the manufacturers might prefer to charge.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.a rule or principle that you feel you must follow.
n.a guiding principle or an authoritative order that must be obeyed.
Simple“He chose to follow the dictates of his own conscience rather than the law.”
In context“The diplomat found it increasingly difficult to reconcile his personal ethics with the strict dictates of his government's foreign policy.”
“Canada should not let Washington dictate the future of its dairy sector.”
“The Ulster Farmers' Union rejects a claim that it is trying to dictate policy after a cattle cull.”
First attested in 1581; borrowed from Latin dictātum (“a thing said, something dictated”), substantivized from the nominative neuter singular of dictātus, the perfect passive participle of dictō (“pronounce or declare repeatedly; dictate”), frequentative of dīcō (“say, speak”). Doublet of diktat.
First attested in 1577; borrowed from Latin dictātus, perfect passive participle of dictō (“to pronounce or declare repeatedly; to dictate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), frequentative of dīcō (“say, speak”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.