as in to permit
to make (something) legal
They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.
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Recent Examples of legalize
For five years, from fourth through eighth grade, Block was a victim of a 1987 Texas court ruling that legalized home schooling.
—
Becca Rothfeld, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2026
Abe newly interpreted Article 9 as legalizing collective defense.
—Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
More than three dozen states have legalized marijuana use in some form or another.
—Addy Bink, The Hill, 27 Dec. 2025
While the reclassification is intended to bolster medical marijuana research and won’t legalize cannabis at the federal level, the move comes at a time when use in the United States is at a high.
—Lindsey Leake, NBC news, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legalize
Verb
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My late father tried to maintain that routine to renew our Egyptian residency permits annually out of fear Israel would expel us from our home again one day.—
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Temporary residence permits allow foreigners to live and work in Germany, as well as receive government benefits, but mean their ability to remain there is uncertain.—
Verb
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The United States is attempting to maintain an oil embargo in Venezuela and has sanctioned the country’s oil industry.—
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The Marinera was a ship previously flagged out of Panama and was sanctioned for its prior involvement in Iranian oil trading by the Treasury Department in 2024 under former President Joe Biden, according to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control.—
Verb
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These platforms display prices and coverages side by side, allowing drivers to spot differences that may not be clear at first glance.—
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Neutrality allowed the nation to build strength, expand westward, and avoid the ideological contagions sweeping the continent.—
Verb
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But under questioning from Cruz, Vladeck conceded that approving a nondisclosure order without any factual proffer would be inconsistent with a judge’s oath, if that hypothetical were true.—
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Kansas City officials approved the initial funding for the temporary facility in October, using funds from the public safety sales tax.—
Verb
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An arbitration hearing enables the Royals and a player — including his agent and attorney — to have a panel of neutral arbitrators determine the value of the player’s contract for the coming season (in this case, 2026).—
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Washington’s neutrality safeguarded our nation’s first quarter-millennium, enabling our ascent to superpower status and the preservation of liberty at home.—
Verb
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The rollout culminated in a deal between Disney and OpenAI that will see select Disney characters licensed to the AI video platform and the media company paying $1 billion for an equity stake in the AI firm.—
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Kenya licensed 42 new digital lenders, raising the country’s total number to 195, as the central bank pushes to formalize a sector that has become an important part of East Africa’s largest economy.—
Cite this Entry
“Legalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legalize. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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