as in to permit
to make (something) legal
They wanted to legalize gambling in their city.
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Recent Examples of legalize
Following the legalization of medical marijuana on Jan. 1, state House and Senate Democratic lawmakers have filed bills to legalize possessing and growing small amounts of marijuana for personal use in the commonwealth.
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Hannah Pinski, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
The fact that their benefactor — and half-brother — was a lawyer and Congressman may have shielded them from a resurgent Ku Klux Klan and some of the worst treatment legalized by the Black Codes.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
In a rehashing of the arguments made ahead of the state’s decision to legalize sports betting, bookmakers are appealing to lawmakers to allow Bay State residents to do their casino gambling from home legally and remove the industry from black market hands.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 24 June 2025
The business and the agricultural communities have called for more visas and ways to help legalize immigrants in order to expand the pool of workers needed in a number of industries and to keep a viable labor force amid a decline in U.S. birth rates.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for legalize
Hannah Pinski, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
The fact that their benefactor — and half-brother — was a lawyer and Congressman may have shielded them from a resurgent Ku Klux Klan and some of the worst treatment legalized by the Black Codes.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
In a rehashing of the arguments made ahead of the state’s decision to legalize sports betting, bookmakers are appealing to lawmakers to allow Bay State residents to do their casino gambling from home legally and remove the industry from black market hands.
—Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald, 24 June 2025
The business and the agricultural communities have called for more visas and ways to help legalize immigrants in order to expand the pool of workers needed in a number of industries and to keep a viable labor force amid a decline in U.S. birth rates.
—Suzanne Gamboa, NBC news, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for legalize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legalize
Verb
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Fishing is permitted anywhere on the lake, and popular spots to try to catch something (while not on a boat) include Bear Lake State Park Marina and Cisco Beach on the Utah side of the lake.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
13 July 2025
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In a LinkedIn post, Farley called for speeding up permitting processes, increasing spending on vocational training, leveraging robotics and augmented reality to help with these spaces and suggested an AmeriCorps-type program for these roles.—
Breana Noble,
Boston Herald,
13 July 2025
Verb
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Under the ‘India Semiconductor Mission’, the government has sanctioned five semiconductor manufacturing units, securing a total investment of USD 18.15 billion by 2024, marking a significant milestone in India's semiconductor manufacturing ambitions and boosting the local ecosystem.—
Sarwant Singh,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
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The State Department also sanctioned Cuban Defense Minister Álvaro López Miera and Interior Minister Lázaro Alberto Álvarez Casas.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
13 July 2025
Verb
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Ushering in nothing short of a police state intent on ethnic cleansing, Trump’s proposed 2026 budget authorizes funding for detention complexes greater than the budget for the federal prison system and detention complex capacity that will allow the government to detain at least 116,000 at once.—
Bob Kustra,
Chicago Tribune,
6 July 2025
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Trump has announced a deal with Vietnam that would allow U.S. goods to enter the country duty-free, while Vietnamese exports to the U.S. would face a 20% levy.—
Brit Morse,
Fortune,
6 July 2025
Verb
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Two sources who spoke to Reuters said the U.S. may approve $30 million per month in grants to the GHF in the future.—
Beth Bailey,
FOXNews.com,
12 July 2025
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After the fires, the state’s largest insurer, State Farm, managed to get California’s insurance regulator to approve a 17% premium hike, but only after threatening to leave the state.—
Scott Cohn,
CNBC,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Offshore and domestic trusts can be structured to enable generational transfer while preserving legal separation.—
Blake Harris,
Forbes.com,
10 July 2025
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The Tapo app detects motion and enables you to set activity zones and privacy zones.—
Parker Hall,
Wired News,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Slurpee history 7-Eleven licensed the frozen drink in 1965 from Omar Knedlik, who founded what became the Icee company.—
Jason Rossi,
The Enquirer,
11 July 2025
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The idea is that, rather than simply purchasing or licensing pre-existing technology, the third-party logistics player will help develop, test and scale new technologies that could benefit the warehouse of the future.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
9 July 2025
Verb
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The 45-year-old accepted a wild card to the Mubadala Citi Open in Washington, D.C. Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit a pair of home runs last night to bring his season total to 38, one shy of Barry Bonds’ 2001 record for homers before the All-Star break.—
Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
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The bank could accept up to $5 billion during a fiscal year for the loans, loan guarantees, and bonds for eligible projects.—
Molly Gibbs,
Sacbee.com,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Legalize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legalize. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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