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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Similarly, Western governments can do more to zero in on Russia’s defense industry by sanctioning more Russian firms that manufacture essential defense equipment such as drones, missiles, and armored vehicles.—
Michael Carpenter,
Foreign Affairs,
1 July 2025
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The final reason her time won’t be ratified is that her attempt did not occur during an actual race or a World Athletics sanctioned track meet.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
Verb
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Both events allow players to earn points for the Race to Dubai and FedEx Cup standings.—
Savannah Leigh Richardson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 July 2025
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The Connecticut state legislature paved the way for UConn to opt into the settlement in February, passing a bill that included language allowing student athletes to earn direct compensation from the institution through revenue sharing.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
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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The Overland Park City Council recently approved a purchase and sale agreement for a seven-story, 154,000-square foot building on College Boulevard and Metcalf Avenue to create a new City Hall building.—
Taylor O’Connor
July 11,
Kansas City Star,
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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There’s a fine line between compatibility and codependency, having compassion for another person’s failings and enabling them.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
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 18 Jul. 2025.
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