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.
Every plan runs on a written document, and that document dictates what you’re allowed to do with your own money.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
The same logic dictates the "forced march" the hopefuls must undergo -- the final exercise required to earn the paratrooper's beret.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Even when intergalactic forces take pains to make the Lantern Corps’ selection process fair, Earth’s unspoken dictates about worthiness make that impossible.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice, without constraint.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
Matter changes hands, atoms flow in and out, molecules pivot, proteins stitch together, mitochondria send out their oxidative dictates; we begin as a microscopic electrical swarm.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
