as in sanctioning
to make (something) legal
They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.
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Recent Examples of legalizing
Abe newly interpreted Article 9 as legalizing collective defense.
—
Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2025
It’s been a long wait for sports fans in the state, with many of the surrounding states legalizing betting apps years ago.
—Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2025
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's pro-European coalition government's work on pushing through a bill legalizing same-sex unions has been held back by resistance from his conservative coalition partner.
—Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 25 Nov. 2025
While in office, Olson tried unsuccessfully to sell GOP leadership on the idea of legalizing medical marijuana.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025
He was best known in his time at the General Assembly for being one of the top House budget writers and being the major driver behind legalizing sports betting in North Carolina, which drew bipartisan support.
—Andrew Dys, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2025
Paul floated the possibility of legalizing collective bargaining for the consumer, rather than just by trade.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 26 Oct. 2025
Once states started legalizing sports gambling following a 2018 Supreme Court ruling, sponsorship deals soon followed.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature passed legislation legalizing the possession, use and cultivation of cannabis in the state.
—Matthew Stolle, Twin Cities, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legalizing
Verb
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The sanctioning body did so for several reasons.—
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The bill was viewed as sanctioning discrimination against the LGBTQ community and later amended.—
Verb
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In theory, that would allow Glenn to lean on him for advice while also permitting him to focus his efforts elsewhere, like on offense and special teams.—
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Even with sufficient investor support, the project would still have to go through an extensive regulatory and permitting process that would undoubtedly receive pushback from environmental groups.—
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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That simple change would introduce real competition, allowing merchants to choose lower-cost options and forcing the dominant players to compete on price and service--just like any other market.—
Verb
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune quickly endorsed the deal and called the immediate vote to begin the process of approving it as the shutdown continued to disrupt flights nationwide, threaten food assistance for millions of Americans and leave federal workers without pay.—
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As expected, Tesla shareholders did a truly unprecedented thing, approving a pay package for Elon Musk that could, over the next decade, turn the CEO into the world’s first trillionaire.—
Verb
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Money collected from licensing fees would go into a victim fund for related expenses.—
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Dog owners in Sacramento County are getting a break in January with an amnesty program for licensing their pets.—
Verb
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And the corporation’s response to the row was feeble at best, enabling conservative critics to advance their long-running campaign against the broadcaster.—
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The breakthrough came when the researchers introduced a minute amount of ordinary salt at a critical stage in the process, which triggered the metal to wrap around the template instead of spreading out, enabling the formation of stable nanotube shells.—
Cite this Entry
“Legalizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legalizing. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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