legislate
gb/lˈɛd͡ʒɪslˌeɪt/ us/lˈɛd͡ʒɪslˌeɪt/
C1
Anglais
Sens
0 sens
Verbe
formal
C1
action
1
make laws for a country
to make laws
Schéma d’usage :
legislate (for [place])
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes say *legislate a law*; more natural is *pass/enact a law* or simply *legislate*.
Synonymes
make laws (Plain, general equivalent.)
|
enact (Often focuses on formally passing a particular law.)
|
pass (a law) (Common phrase for approving a specific law.)
Antonymes
repeal (To remove an existing law rather than create one.)
|
deregulate (To reduce or remove legal controls in an area.)
Collocations
legislate on
|legislate for
|legislate against
|legislate to do something
|legislate effectively
|legislate responsibly
|legislate in haste
|attempt to legislate
|power to legislate
|failure to legislate
Thèmes
politics
|government
|law
Exemples
- Congress can legislate in areas listed in the Constitution.
- The parliament met to legislate before the budget vote.
- Lawmakers promised to legislate more quickly on housing.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The government will legislate on road safety.
- Members of parliament legislate for the country.
Verbe
formal
C1
action
2
regulate something by making laws
to make laws about something
Schéma d’usage :
legislate on/for/against [issue/activity]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may choose the wrong preposition: typically *legislate on* (topic), *legislate for* (provide rules for), *legislate against* (try to stop).
Synonymes
regulate (Broader; can include rules not made by a legislature.)
|
control (Less specific; may not imply laws.)
|
ban (Narrower; means make something illegal.)
Antonymes
legalize (To make something lawful rather than restrict it.)
|
allow (To permit rather than control through law.)
Collocations
legislate on climate change
|legislate for data privacy
|legislate against discrimination
|legislate against hate speech
|legislate for workplace safety
|legislate to protect consumers
|legislate to curb inflation
|legislate to reduce emissions
|legislate to ban something
|legislate to improve standards
Thèmes
law
|politics
|society
Exemples
- The city tried to legislate against short-term rentals.
- They want to legislate for stronger online privacy protections.
- The council legislated on noise limits after residents complained.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The country legislated against smoking in restaurants.
- They legislated for safer buildings.
Verbe
formal
C2
action
3
control behavior through laws
to try to control people’s behavior by law
Schéma d’usage :
legislate [behavior/values] | legislate morality
Erreur fréquente :
This sense is usually critical; in neutral contexts, use *regulate* or *make laws about*.
Synonymes
police (Emphasizes strict control or enforcement, not necessarily by lawmaking.)
|
impose rules (General; may not imply formal legislation.)
Antonymes
tolerate (To accept behavior rather than try to control it by law.)
|
leave (something) to personal choice (Opposite approach: no legal control.)
Collocations
legislate morality
|cannot legislate morality
|attempt to legislate
|legislate personal choices
|legislate private behavior
|legislate values
Thèmes
politics
|society
|ethics
Exemples
- Critics argued that the bill was an attempt to legislate morality.
- You can’t legislate kindness; you can only encourage it.
- Some voters oppose laws that try to legislate personal choices.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Some people say you cannot legislate morality.
- They do not want the state to legislate private behavior.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
legislate
API
GB/lˈɛd͡ʒɪslˌeɪt/
US/lˈɛd͡ʒɪslˌeɪt/
Syllabes et accentuation
le - gis - late (3 syllabes)
Stress on 1st syllable (le)
Formes du mot
Verb
- Base: legislate
- 3rd Person Singular: legislates
- Present Participle: legislating
- Past: legislated
Famille de mots
Forms
legislates
verb
legislating
verb
legislated
verb
Core family
Related words
legislature
noun C1
Advanced or less common
legislatively
adverb
Expressions
legislate against [something]
1/lˈɛd͡ʒɪslˌeɪt əɡˈɛnst sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
formal
make laws to stop something
to make something illegal or more restricted
Exemples
- The government legislated against price gouging during emergencies.
- Several states have legislated against texting while driving.
- They want to legislate against misleading advertising.
legislate for [something]
1/lˈɛd͡ʒɪslˌeɪt fɚ sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
formal
make laws to provide rules
to make laws to deal with something
Exemples
- Parliament legislated for paid parental leave.
- The council legislated for new building safety standards.
- The country has legislated for stronger consumer protections.
legislate from the bench
1/lˈɛd͡ʒɪslˌeɪt fɹˈʌm ðə bˈɛnt͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
formal
judges effectively make new law
when judges are said to make laws
Exemples
- Some commentators accused the court of legislating from the bench.
- The ruling was praised by supporters but criticized as legislating from the bench.
- He argued that elected lawmakers, not judges, should legislate from the bench.
legislate morality
1/lˈɛd͡ʒɪslˌeɪt mˌɔɹˈælɪti/
fixed phrase
formal
impose moral behavior by law
to use laws to control morals and private behavior
Exemples
- Opponents said the proposal was trying to legislate morality.
- Supporters argued that the state has a role in legislating morality.
- The debate turned on whether you can legislate morality at all.
legislate on [something]
1/lˈɛd͡ʒɪslˌeɪt ˈɔn sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
formal
make laws about a topic
to make laws about something
Exemples
- Lawmakers are under pressure to legislate on housing costs.
- The committee will legislate on data protection next month.
- The country was slow to legislate on air quality.