dictate
Other forms: dictated; dictates; dictating
When you dictate something, you are giving orders — acting a bit like a dictator.
Dictate can also be used in a broader sense. Weather often dictates how many layers of clothes you wear, and the school rules dictate how you behave in and out of class. In a very different meaning, dictate means to say something out loud to a person or into a machine so it can be recorded. Up until fairly recently, bosses dictated letters and reports to secretaries who wrote them down.
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a guiding principle“the dictates of reason”type of:principlea basic truth or law or assumption
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an authoritative rule
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issue commands or orders for
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rule as a dictator
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say out loud for the purpose of recording“He dictated a report to his secretary”type of:readlook at, interpret, and say out loud something that is written or printed
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Vocabulary lists containing dictate
How can you perform well on the reading section of the SAT if you don’t fully understand the language being used in the directions and in the questions? Learn this list of 25 words that are based on our analysis of the words likely to appear in question stems, answer options, and test directions. Following our Roadmap to the SAT? Head back to see what else you should be learning this week.
Practice this list of English words derived from the Latin roots dic and dict, which mean "say" or "declare."
How can you perform well on the new reading section of the SAT if you don’t fully understand the language being used in the directions and in the questions? Learn this list of 150 words that are based on our analysis of the words likely to appear in question stems, answer options and test directions. Here are all of our word lists to help you prepare for the new SAT (debuting March of 2016): The Language of the Test, Multiple-Meaning Words, and Words to Capture Tone.