dictate to
phrasal verb
dictated to; dictating to; dictates to
: to give orders to (someone)
—usually used as (be) dictated to
I resent being dictated to by someone with half my experience.
Examples of dictate to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That de-escalation can be expected to last about as long as the two countries’ intemperate presidents manage to stay off X.
But for excellent historical reasons, Latin Americans hate being dictated to by gringos and won’t support leaders who meekly allow it.
—
Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2025
Trump agreed and started dictating to his press team.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025
Whispering Mode lets users dictate to Flow when others are around simply by whispering the words.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Americans do not like to have their major decisions dictated to them.
—Casey B. Mulligan, National Review, 25 Sep. 2024
Still, Hoffman’s demanding and radical view of documentary filmmaking and its inherent contrivances was artistically fruitful, not as a dictate to other filmmakers but a guiding light for his own work.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2024
The Pentagon needs to work with, not dictate to, the private sector.
—William J. Burns, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
Scott Hanselman, a Microsoft vice president who looks after its global developer community, says that in the pre-Nadella era, Microsoft had a reputation for dictating to developers and forcing them to use the company’s entire tech stack.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 May 2024
Still, the perception that European powers are dictating to their governments stings.
—Patricia Cohen Jes Aznar, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Quico Toro, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2025
Trump agreed and started dictating to his press team.
—Barak Ravid, Axios, 16 Jan. 2025
Whispering Mode lets users dictate to Flow when others are around simply by whispering the words.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
Americans do not like to have their major decisions dictated to them.
—Casey B. Mulligan, National Review, 25 Sep. 2024
Still, Hoffman’s demanding and radical view of documentary filmmaking and its inherent contrivances was artistically fruitful, not as a dictate to other filmmakers but a guiding light for his own work.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2024
The Pentagon needs to work with, not dictate to, the private sector.
—William J. Burns, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
Scott Hanselman, a Microsoft vice president who looks after its global developer community, says that in the pre-Nadella era, Microsoft had a reputation for dictating to developers and forcing them to use the company’s entire tech stack.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 May 2024
Still, the perception that European powers are dictating to their governments stings.
—Patricia Cohen Jes Aznar, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Dictate to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictate%20to. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share