Word
mandate
Phoneticsman·date, stress on the first syllable
/ˈmænˌdeɪt/
Definitions
01authority from voters
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Politics
n. the authority given to an elected group or person to carry out their promises because they won an election.
n. the authority to carry out a policy or course of action, regarded as given by the electorate to a candidate or party that is victorious in an election.
“The president claimed a clear mandate from the people to change the tax laws.”
“With a landslide victory, the prime minister argued that the government held a democratic mandate to implement the controversial environmental reforms.”
Usage
Often used with the preposition 'to' followed by an infinitive verb.
02an official order
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Law Formal
n. an official or legal order to do something.
n. an official order or commission to do something; a judicial command or precept.
“The court issued a mandate requiring the company to stop its operations.”
“The agency's mandate was expanded by the legislature to include the oversight of all regional water treatment facilities.”
Usage
In legal contexts, it functions as a countable noun referring to a specific document or decree.
Synonyms
03to make mandatory
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to make something a requirement or to give someone the official power to do something.
v. to give an official instruction or command; to make a particular activity or behavior compulsory by law or regulation.
“The new law will mandate that all citizens wear seatbelts in the back of the car.”
“Federal regulations mandate that all commercial aircraft undergo rigorous safety inspections after a specified number of flight hours.”
Usage
Commonly followed by a 'that' clause or a direct object.
04historical territory control
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Politics Formal · Archaic
n. a commission from the League of Nations to a country to govern a specific territory.
n. an authorization granted by the League of Nations to a member nation to govern a former German or Turkish colony.
“After the war, the region was governed under a British mandate.”
“The historical study examines the administrative challenges faced during the French mandate in Syria and Lebanon following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.”
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “mandate” in context.
Verb
01. carry out the mandate
“The agency was criticized for failing to carry out its mandate to protect the local environment.”
verb + noun
02. renew the mandate
“The council voted unanimously to renew the mandate of the peacekeeping force for another six months.”
verb + noun
03. seek a mandate
“The Prime Minister decided to call an early election to seek a mandate for her economic reforms.”
verb + noun
Adjective
04. clear mandate
“Winning sixty percent of the vote gave the new president a clear mandate to change the law.”
adj + noun
05. electoral mandate
“Without a strong electoral mandate, the coalition government struggled to pass controversial bills.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. mandate for change
“The landslide victory was interpreted by political analysts as a mandate for change.”
noun + prep + noun
07. mandate to govern
“The party leader claimed they now had a democratic mandate to govern the country.”
noun + infinitive
Preposition
08. under the mandate
“The committee operates under the mandate established by the 2015 international treaty.”
prep + noun
Real-World Examples
“UNIFIL’s mandate in southern Lebanon is due to expire at the end of this year amid international debate over the force’s future and mission.” “No country mandates that employers offer paid time off after the death of a pet.” “She has also aligned with the MAHA movement in fighting government mandates and questioning the safety of some vaccines.” Etymology
First attested in 1521; borrowed from Latin mandātum (“a charge, order, command, commission, injunction”), substantivized from the neuter forms of mandātus, perfect passive participle of mandō (“to commit to one's charge, order, command, commission, literally to put into one's hands”) (see -ate (noun-forming suffix)), from manus (“hand”) + -dere (“to put”). Sense 3 in Canadian English is likely a semantic loan from French mandat.
First attested in 1623; partly directly borrowed from Latin mandātus (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more), partly from the above noun by metanalysis.
From man + date.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- C1 · AdvancedOxford
- Updated
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