self-regulate

verb

Of a mechanism, government, person, etc.: to regulate itself without external assistance.

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Meanings

verbself-regulate (third-person singular simple present self-regulates, present participle self-regulating, simple past and past participle self-regulated)

present singular third person self-regulates · participle present self-regulating · participle past self-regulated · past self-regulated

  1. intransitiveOf a mechanism, government, person, etc.: to regulate itself without external assistance.

    I stim to self-regulate and to avoid sensory overload, meltdowns, or shutdowns in environments that are inaccessible.

    2021, Erin Felepchuk, “Stimming, Improvisation, and COVID-19: (Re)negotiating Autistic Sensory Regulation During a Pandemic”, in Disability Studies Quarterly, volume 41, number 3, archived from the original on 22 Jan 2022

Origin

From self- + regulate.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

self-regulate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-regulate

MLA

“self-regulate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-regulate. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-regulate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-regulate.

Source: self-regulate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.