- to control or direct by a rule, principle, method, etc.: to regulate household expenses.
- to adjust to some standard or requirement, as amount, degree, etc.: to regulate the temperature.
- to adjust so as to ensure accuracy of operation: to regulate a watch.
- to put in good order: to regulate the digestion.
Origin of regulate
SynonymsSee more synonyms for regulate on Thesaurus.com
Examples from the Web for regulate
A few weeks ago, Reid called a vote on a Constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to regulate money in politics.Time is Money: How to Fix Outrageous Political Spending
November 3, 2014
Second, the Nobel Prize for economics went to Jean Tirole, who studies how to regulate politically powerful companies.The Supreme Court Is Weighing Corporate Power Yet Again
October 17, 2014
Do you favor giving the state legislature the constitutional authority to regulate abortions, or do you oppose this?Tennessee Voters Face a Loaded Abortion Question
October 4, 2014
She tells us how little the federal and provincial governments have done to regulate the tar sands.Our Trip to The Climate War's Ground Zero
September 19, 2014
Instead, he muses, why not regulate as if all people need guns, everywhere?NRA Hipster: Give All Kids a Gun
July 23, 2014
Millions of people must regulate their lives in fear of these dread visitors.The Conquest of Fear
It should not shut the heart, but regulate the course of feeling.Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II
Francis Augustus Cox
The object of civil law is to regulate the relations of men to each ether.The Sexual Question
Man contemplating the heavens is to regulate his erring life according to them.Timaeus
We must regulate our proceedings by the proceedings of our Allies.
- to adjust (the amount of heat, sound, etc, of something) as required; control
- to adjust (an instrument or appliance) so that it operates correctly
- to bring into conformity with a rule, principle, or usage
Word Origin and History for regulate
early 15c., "adjust by rule, control," from Late Latin regulatus, past participle of regulare "to control by rule, direct," from Latin regula "rule" (see regular). Meaning "to govern by restriction" is from 1620s. Related: Regulated; regulating.
- To control or direct according to rule, principle, or law.
- To adjust to a particular specification or requirement.
- To adjust a mechanism for accurate and proper functioning.
- To put or maintain in order.