verb / noun
dictate
A command determining what must be done.
The rules dictate what the team must do.
Etymology
Latin dictare could mean to prescribe as well as to speak for writing. A dictate carries that prescriptive force, setting out what another person must do.
More examples
- She rejected the leader's dictates.
- The policy dictated their response.
- Events are dictating the schedule.
Forms
dictate · dictates · dictated · dictating
Similar words
- command
- An authoritative instruction.
- requirement
- A necessary condition rather than an order from a person.