legalize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to make lawful or legal
-
to confirm or validate (something previously unlawful)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of legalize
Explanation
To legalize some activity is to change a law so that people are free to do it. You might live in a state that once banned fireworks, until citizens voted to legalize them—making Independence Day significantly noisier. When something that's been illegal goes through the process of becoming legal, the government legalizes it. Gambling was legalized in Nevada back in the 1930s. To legalize a person is to make them a legal citizen of a country. Today, many people argue for legalizing victimless crimes, or those that arguably don't hurt anyone.
Vocabulary lists containing legalize
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ize
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-ize, List 2
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leg, legis
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The December order did not come with a specific timeline, and it would not legalize marijuana.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026
“The aspiration is still to legalize as much of the United States as we can—that is the North Star,” Howe says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026
“Their philosophy was: If it’s unsafe for kids, then you shouldn’t legalize it. And of course, that’s a stupid standard,” Stroup said.
From Slate • Dec. 23, 2025
DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said on an earnings call last month that he thinks prediction markets will be a “powerful lever” to pressure states to legalize online sports betting.
From Barron's • Dec. 1, 2025
I write that America is my home in my heart, and how citizenship will legalize what I already feel.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
