MEANING
1. Direct or limit an activity through rules or official oversight.
2. Adjust a process or quantity to keep it within a desired range.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- regulate an industry
- regulate conduct
On the page
The law regulates how providers advertise their services.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- regulate
- Past tense
- regulated
- Past participle
- regulated
- Present participle
- regulating
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- regulate
- Present continuous
- am/is/are regulating
- Present perfect
- have/has regulated
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been regulating
- Past
- regulated
- Past continuous
- was/were regulating
- Past perfect
- had regulated
- Past perfect continuous
- had been regulating
- Future
- will regulate
- Future continuous
- will be regulating
- Future perfect
- will have regulated
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been regulating
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: regulate; regulates; regulated; regulated; regulating Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, explanation, evaluation. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: regulates.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
Keep a thought for later. Sign in to save privately.