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- Dictionarydictate
verb
- 1. state or order authoritatively: "the tsar's attempts to dictate policy" Similar
- 2. say or read aloud (words to be typed, written down, or recorded on tape): "I have four letters to dictate" Similar Opposite
noun
- 1. an order or principle that must be obeyed: "the dictates of fashion" Similar
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DICTATE definition: 1. to give orders, or tell someone exactly what they must do, with total authority: 2. to…. Learn more.
1. : to speak or read for a person to transcribe or for a machine to record. dictating a letter to her secretary. 2. a. : to issue as an order. b. : to impose, pronounce, or specify authoritatively. dictate the terms of surrender.
to give orders, or tell someone exactly what they must do, with total authority: The UN will dictate the terms of troop withdrawal from the region. [ + question word ] He disagrees with the federal government dictating what children are taught in schools. [ + that ] The rules dictate that only running shoes must be worn on the track. [ T ]
In a very different meaning, dictate means to say something out loud to a person or into a machine so it can be recorded. Up until fairly recently, bosses dictated letters and reports to secretaries who wrote them down.
to say or read (something) aloud for another person to transcribe or for a machine to record: to dictate some letters to a secretary. to prescribe or lay down authoritatively or peremptorily; command unconditionally: to dictate peace terms to a conquered enemy.
If you dictate something, you say or read it aloud for someone else to write down. He writes every day of the week, dictating his novels in the morning. American English : dictate / ˈdɪkteɪt /
1. A directive; a command. 2. a. An underlying constraint: "These men make numerous decisions affecting how they organize their lives according to the dictates of time and place" (William Marsiglio). b. A guiding principle: followed the dictates of my conscience.
DICTATE definition: 1. to say or read something for someone to write down: 2. to decide or control what happens: . Learn more.
Definition of dictate verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Verb. Noun. Filter. verb. dictated, dictates, dictating. To speak or read (something) aloud for someone else to write down. Webster's New World. Similar definitions. To impose or give (orders) with or as with authority. Webster's New World. Similar definitions. To prescribe or command forcefully. Webster's New World. Similar definitions.
