dictates

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One feature of UK energy prices is that the price of gas often dictates the price of electricity, as gas-fired power stations are often the bit of energy that helps supply meet demand.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

Tradition dictates that an MP is ceremonially held "hostage" in the palace to ensure the king's safe return.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

Passed by voters in 2018, the initiative dictates minimum space requirements for farm animals and—this is the clever part—forbids the sale of meat products that violate those standards in California.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

It makes for an exhausting, agonizing, anxiety-ridden existence that dictates how John exists in public.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

Portions of it are constantly changing hands, and it is the chance of seizing this or that fragment by a sudden stroke of treachery that dictates the endless changes of alignment.

From "1984" by George Orwell