Word
legislate
Phoneticsleg·is·late
US/ˈɫɛdʒɪˌsɫeɪt/
UK/lˈɛdʒɪslˌeɪt/
Definition
v. to make or pass new laws. Governments do this to control how a country or organization works.
v. to exercise the power of making and enacting laws. Intransitive when referring to the general power of a government; transitive when specifying the creation of a particular rule or standard.
Examples
“The government plans to legislate against plastic waste.”
“Parliament met late into the night to legislate for stricter environmental protections across the manufacturing sector.”
“While the executive branch enforces existing rules, only the legislative body has the constitutional authority to legislate on matters of national taxation and public spending.”
Examples
simple
“The government plans to legislate against plastic waste.”
contextual
“Parliament met late into the night to legislate for stricter environmental protections across the manufacturing sector.”
complex
“While the executive branch enforces existing rules, only the legislative body has the constitutional authority to legislate on matters of national taxation and public spending.”
Usage
Often used with the preposition 'against' or 'for' to indicate the purpose of the law.
Pitfall
The council legislated a new law
The council passed a new law
While 'legislate' means to make laws, it is rarely used with 'law' as a direct object; one legislates 'on' a topic or 'passes' a law.
Real-World Examples
“The Albanese government has banned gambling company logos on jerseys but legislated a five-year transition period to allow clubs and bookmakers to adjust.” “A spokesperson said: "We have already banned single-use vapes and have legislated to ban advertising and sponsorship from next year too.” Etymology
Back-formation from legislation, legislator.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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englishreference.com/q/legislate