Meanings
dictate1
dictate2
present singular third person dictates · participle present dictating · participle past dictated · past dictated
- To order, command, control.
Etiquette dictates that wedding invitations should be acknowledged in writing.
1 more example
Trademark Owners will nevertheless try to dictate how their marks are to be represented, but dictionary publishers with spine can resist such pressure.
2001, Sydney I. Landau, Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 409 - To determine or decisively affect.
We issue replacements as necessity dictates.
3 more examples
He had offered, and been refused! There was that in her own nature, which sympathised with the pride, for such she held to be the motive, dictating the refusal.
1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Return to Courtenaye Hall”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 151Geology dictates the approximate location of the tunnel.
1961 December, “The Channel Tunnel—a realistic proposal”, in Trains Illustrated, page 723I didn't lay this bar, or the restaurant for that matter, out on paper. The design was dictated by the materials.
1977 August 20, David Holland, quoting Tony Bosco, “Tony Bosco”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 7, page 19
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
dictate · noun
- Latindictātum“a thing said, something dictated”
- Englishdictate
First attested in 1581; borrowed from Latin dictātum (“a thing said, something dictated”), substantivized from the nominative neuter singular of dictātus, the perfect passive participle of dictō (“pronounce or declare repeatedly; dictate”), frequentative of dīcō (“say, speak”). Doublet of diktat.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →dictate · verb
- Proto-Indo-European*deyḱ-
- Proto-Indo-European*déyḱeti
- Proto-Italic*deikō
- Latindīcō
- Latindictō
- Latindictātus
- Englishdictate
First attested in 1577; borrowed from Latin dictātus, perfect passive participle of dictō (“to pronounce or declare repeatedly; to dictate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), frequentative of dīcō (“say, speak”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic إِمْلَاء, أَمْلَى
- إِمْلَاء (ʔimlāʔ)an order or command
- أَمْلَى (ʔamlā)to order, command, control
- أَمْلَى (ʔamlā)to speak in order for someone to write down the words
- أَكْتَبَ (ʔaktaba)to speak in order for someone to write down the words
Bulgarian за́повед, наре́ждане
- за́повед (zápoved)an order or command
- наре́ждане (naréždane)an order or command
- дикта́т (diktát)an order or command
- командвам (komandvam)to order, command, control
- нареждам (nareždam)to order, command, control
- диктувам (diktuvam)to speak in order for someone to write down the words
Chinese Mandarin 命令, 規定 /规定
- 命令 (mìnglìng)to order, command, control
- 規定 /规定 (guīdìng)to order, command, control
- 要求 (yāoqiú)to order, command, control
- 听写 (tīngxiě)to speak in order for someone to write down the words
Czech diktovat
- diktovatto speak in order for someone to write down the words
Finnish sanella, sanella
- sanellato order, command, control
- sanellato speak in order for someone to write down the words
French dicter
- dicterto speak in order for someone to write down the words
German Diktat, Gebot
- Diktatan order or command
- Gebotan order or command
- diktierento order, command, control
- bestimmento order, command, control
- vorschreibento order, command, control
- diktierento speak in order for someone to write down the words
Hebrew הכתיב, הכתיב
- הכתיב (hikhtív)to order, command, control
- הכתיב (hikhtív)to speak in order for someone to write down the words
Hungarian parancs, diktátum
- parancsan order or command
- diktátuman order or command
- diktálto order, command, control
- diktálto speak in order for someone to write down the words
- tollba mondto speak in order for someone to write down the words
Irish deachtaigh
- deachtaighto speak in order for someone to write down the words
Italian dettame, imporre
- dettamean order or command
- imporreto order, command, control
- comandareto order, command, control
- dettareto speak in order for someone to write down the words
Latin dictō
- dictōto speak in order for someone to write down the words
Māori whakatopatopa, āhukareo
- whakatopatopato order, command, control
- āhukareoto speak in order for someone to write down the words
Polish nakaz, dyktować
- nakazan order or command
- dyktowaćto order, command, control
- podyktowaćto order, command, control
- dyktowaćto speak in order for someone to write down the words
- podyktowaćto speak in order for someone to write down the words
Portuguese ordem, comando
- ordeman order or command
- comandoan order or command
- ordenarto order, command, control
- comandarto order, command, control
- controlarto order, command, control
- ditarto speak in order for someone to write down the words
Romanian dicta
- dictato speak in order for someone to write down the words
Russian веле́ние, дикта́т
- веле́ние (velénije)an order or command
- дикта́т (diktát)an order or command
- кома́ндовать (komándovatʹ)to order, command, control
- предпи́сывать (predpísyvatʹ)to order, command, control
- диктова́ть (diktovátʹ)to speak in order for someone to write down the words
Spanish dictado, dictar
- dictadoan order or command
- dictarto order, command, control
- dictarto speak in order for someone to write down the words
Swedish diktera
- dikterato speak in order for someone to write down the words
Tagalog diktahan
- diktahanto order, command, control
Turkish buyruk, buyuru
- buyrukan order or command
- buyuruan order or command
- diktaan order or command
- emiran order or command
- fermanan order or command
- dikte etmekto order, command, control
- dikte etmekto speak in order for someone to write down the words
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with dictate
Cite this entry
dictate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dictate
“dictate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dictate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dictate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dictate.
Source: dictate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.