Definition of 'regulate'
Word forms: 3rd person singular present tense regulates
, present participle regulating
, past tense, past participle regulated
verb
To regulate an activity or process means to control it, especially by means of rules.
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
British English pronunciation
American English pronunciation
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Word Frequency
regulate in British English
verb (transitive)
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
regulative (ˈregulative) or regulatory (ˈregulatory) adjective
regulatively (ˈregulatively)
adverb
Word origin
C17: from Late Latin rēgulāre to control, from Latin rēgula a ruler
Word Frequency
regulate in American English
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈreguˌlated or ˈreguˌlating
3.
to adjust (a clock, etc.) so as to make operate accurately
4.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word Frequency
regulate in American English
(ˈreɡjəˌleit)
transitive verbWord forms: -lated, -lating
SYNONYMS 1. rule, govern, manage, order, adjust, arrange, dispose, conduct. 2. set. 4. systematize.4.
to put in good order
to regulate the digestion
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
regulative (ˈreɡjəˌleitɪv, -jələtɪv) or regulatory (ˈreɡjələˌtɔri, -ˌtouri) adjective
regulatively
adverb
Word Frequency
regulate in Mechanical Engineering
(rɛgyəleɪt)
Word forms: (present) regulates, (past) regulated, (perfect) regulated, (progressive) regulating
verb
(Mechanical engineering: Control, instrumentation and metrology)
regulatorIf you regulate an instrument or appliance, you adjust it so that it operates correctly.
A 3-speed fan means you can regulate the speed at which vapor is distributed.
By adjusting the thermostat, you can regulate the temperature of a building.
If you regulate an instrument or appliance, you adjust it so that it operates correctly.
Collins COBUILD Key Words for Mechanical Engineering. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Examples of 'regulate' in a sentence
regulate
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In other languages
regulate
British English: regulate
VERB /ˈrɛɡjʊleɪt/
To regulate an activity or process means to control it, especially by means of rules.
The government should regulate competition among insurance companies.
- American English: regulate /ˈrɛgyəleɪt/
- Brazilian Portuguese: regular
- Chinese: 控制 尤指通过规则
- European Spanish: controlar
- French: réguler
- German: regulieren
- Italian: regolamentare
- Japanese: 規制する
- Korean: 규제하다
- European Portuguese: regular
- Latin American Spanish: regular
- Thai: บังคับใช้กฎ
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Definition of regulate from the Collins English Dictionary
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