Baker Act

verb

To invoke the Baker Act, i.e., the involuntary institutionalization and examination of an individual in the state of Florida, or (by extension) elsewhere in the United States.

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Meanings

verbBaker Act (third-person singular simple present Baker Acts, present participle Baker Acting, simple past and past participle Baker Acted)

present singular third person Baker Acts · participle present Baker Acting · participle past Baker Acted · past Baker Acted

  1. USintransitivetransitivelawTo invoke the Baker Act, i.e., the involuntary institutionalization and examination of an individual in the state of Florida, or (by extension) elsewhere in the United States.

    Court records show he was previously ruled not competent for prosecution, Baker Acted 33 times and released back onto the street. The Baker Acts include the child molestation and prior indecent exposure arrests.

    2018 February 27, Kent Justice, “Jacksonville man charged with masturbating in front of kids”, in News4Jax

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
5150

Origin

The legislation was nicknamed the “Baker Act” after Florida Democratic state representative from Miami, Maxine Baker, who served from 1963 to 1972. She had a strong interest in mental health issues, served as chair of the House Committee on Mental Health, and was the sponsor of the bill.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Baker Act. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Baker%20Act

MLA

“Baker Act.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Baker%20Act. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Baker Act,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Baker%20Act.

Source: Baker Act on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.