legalize

verb

Definition of legalizenext
as in to permit
to make (something) legal They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of legalize Since 2018, several states have legalized online sports betting. — Devika Rao, TheWeek, 7 Oct. 2026 It was intended to be a casino, but when the law to legalize casinos didn’t pass, the property was sold. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 North Carolina has not legalized either medical or recreational marijuana, but many of the edibles Hohns makes are more potent than what's available in states that have. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026 The proposal shares the same name as the 2024 amendment that legalized access to the procedure. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for legalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legalize
  1. permit
  2. sanction
  3. allow
  4. approve
  5. enable
  6. license
Verb
  • Many of his domestic critics have faulted him for prolonging the war in Gaza to appease his far-right allies, and for permitting ultra-Orthodox Jews to forgo military service to appease that sizable religious voter bloc.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The Vatican said that Leo had expressed deep concern about conditions in Oleshky and sought a ceasefire to permit aid deliveries and evacuations.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of permit
Verb
  • The startup incubation program MiraclePlus, which was sanctioned along with Zhisuan, gave seed capital in exchange for an ownership stake in Zhisuan, the State Department said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Even to the point of being fined and sanctioned by the European Union courts for refusing to open their gates to unchecked immigration, in Hungary’s case under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, while Poland faced sanctions in 2025.
    — Tyler Speicher, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of sanction
Verb
  • Rather than requiring every country or operator to develop and maintain their own satellite network, the model would allow participants to integrate their systems with a broader infrastructure.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • This allows the system to identify actions that may appear harmless individually but become dangerous in context.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of allow
Verb
  • With production approved, the aircraft can now be sold to domestic and foreign carriers.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Currently, Wegovy, the brand name for semaglutide, is the only weekly GLP-1 medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat obesity in children over 12 years old.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of approve
Verb
  • That flexibility, whether enabled by SSTs or other controls, could lower costs and speed up grid connections.
    — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Chain bookselling, which enabled the unification of the reading market, was one of the first heralds of a globalizing age.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of enable
Verb
  • China is looking to tighten biotechnology exports, but will leave the door open for licensing deals with foreign drugmakers that have underpinned its position as a growing pharmaceutical powerhouse, Bloomberg Law reports.
    — Ed Silverman, STAT, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Patients complete an online survey covering their skin concerns, history, current routine and goals, which is reviewed by a clinician licensed in their state.
    — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of license

Browse Nearby Words

legalizations
legalize
legalized
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Legalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legalize. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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