deregulate
gb/diɹˈɛɡjəleɪt/ us/diɹˈɛɡjəleɪt/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Verb
C1
action
1
remove official economic controls
to make an industry, market, or activity less controlled by government rules
Usage pattern:
deregulate [an industry/market/sector/service]
Common mistake:
Do not use deregulate for simply canceling one ordinary rule; it usually refers to reducing a system of official controls.
Synonyms
liberalize (often suggests opening a market to more competition or fewer restrictions)
|
decontrol (more formal or technical, often used for prices or specific controls)
|
relax regulations (means make rules less strict, not necessarily remove them completely)
Antonyms
regulate (to control an activity by rules or laws)
|
restrict (to limit what people or businesses may do)
|
re-regulate (to introduce controls again after deregulation)
Collocations
deregulate the market
|deregulate an industry
|deregulate the economy
|deregulate financial services
|deregulate banks
|deregulate energy prices
|deregulate telecoms
|plans to deregulate
|move to deregulate
|fully deregulate
Themes
business
|economics
|government
|law
|policy
Examples
- The government decided to deregulate the energy market to encourage competition.
- Airlines were deregulated in the United States in the late 1970s.
- Critics argue that deregulating banks can increase risks for consumers.
Learner examples
- The country plans to deregulate its bus services.
- Some people fear that deregulating companies will reduce safety.
Verb
formal
C2
action
2
remove controls from a system
to stop controlling how a system or activity works
Usage pattern:
deregulate [a system/process/activity]
Common mistake:
In science and medicine, deregulate can mean that normal control is disrupted; in everyday political and business use, it usually means removing official rules.
Synonyms
uncontrol (rare and much less common than deregulate)
|
remove controls (plain-language equivalent)
|
disrupt regulation (used especially when normal biological control is made abnormal)
Antonyms
regulate (to keep a system operating under rules or controls)
|
control (to manage or direct how something works)
Collocations
deregulate a system
|deregulate a process
|deregulate gene expression
|deregulate cell growth
|deregulate production
|deregulate access
Themes
systems
|policy
|science
Examples
- The new policy would deregulate access to several public datasets.
- In some cancers, mutations deregulate normal cell growth.
- The platform was criticized for deregulating parts of its approval process too quickly.
Learner examples
- The change will deregulate access to the service.
Grammar
Dictionary form
deregulate
IPA
GB/diɹˈɛɡjəleɪt/
US/diɹˈɛɡjəleɪt/
Syllables & stress
de - reg - u - late (4 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (reg)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: deregulate
- 3rd Person Singular: deregulates
- Present Participle: deregulating
- Past: deregulated
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.