Meaning & use
dictate
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To say words aloud so that another person or a machine can write or record them.
Grammar: Can take an object: dictate a letter, or be used alone.
Patterns
- dictate something to someone
- dictate to a secretary
The manager dictated a letter to her assistant.
I dictate my notes into my phone while driving.
The author dictated the final chapter from his hospital bed.
verbtransitive or intransitivedisapproving
To give orders or set rules that others must obey, often in a bossy way.
Grammar: Often takes to: dictate to people; or an object: dictate terms.
Patterns
- dictate to someone
- dictate terms
You can't dictate to me what I wear.
The stronger side dictated the terms of the treaty.
Parents should guide children, not dictate every choice.
verbtransitive
To decide or determine what must happen, as a result of a situation.
Grammar: The subject is often a thing: the weather dictated our plans.
Patterns
- something dictates something
The weather will dictate whether we leave early.
Cost often dictates which option we choose.
Common sense dictates that you wait for the results.
nounusually pluralformal
A rule or command that must be followed, from authority, conscience, or custom.
Grammar: Usually dictates with of: the dictates of fashion.
Patterns
- the dictates of something
He followed the dictates of his conscience.
The dictates of fashion change each season.
She refused to bow to the dictates of the committee.
Word forms
| third person singular | dictates |
|---|---|
| past tense | dictated |
| past participle | dictated |
| -ing form | dictating |
Common combinations
- dictate a letter
- He dictated a letter to his lawyer.
- dictate terms
- The buyer dictated terms during the negotiation.
- dictate to someone
- Nobody should dictate to others how to live.
- the dictates of conscience
- She acted on the dictates of conscience.
- circumstances dictate
- Circumstances dictate what we can afford.
- dictate policy
- Lobbyists should not dictate policy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- command
- Command is a direct order from someone in authority, while dictate often suggests bossy control.
- determine
- Determine is neutral and means decide or control a result, without any sense of bossiness.
- prescribe
- Prescribe means lay down a rule or treatment officially, and is used in formal or medical settings.
- transcribe
- Transcribe is what the listener does when writing down what was dictated.
Opposites
Word family
- dictation noun
- words spoken for someone to write down
- dictator noun
- a ruler with total power
- dictatorial adjective
- bossy or ruling with total control
- dictatorship noun
- a government run by one person
- dictaphone noun
- a machine that records speech
Commonly confused: dictate or dictation? dictate or diction?
dictate vs dictation
Dictation is the noun for words spoken to be written down; dictate is the verb, or a noun meaning a rule.
dictate vs diction
Diction is the choice of words or clarity of speech, which is unrelated to dictating.
Practice
The tight budget will ___ which of the projects we can afford to start this year.
Choose one answer.
Dictate here means determine what must happen. The other options do not fit with a budget and projects.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dictate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.