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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Regulate: Definition, Usage & Common Mistakes (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：control through rules (regulate)

regulate 🔊

/ˈreɡjəleɪt/

To control something, especially by making rules.

Illustration of regulate meaning: traffic officer enforcing speed limit rules.

control through rules 🔊

➕

/kənˈtroʊl θruː ruːlz/

To manage or direct an activity, process, or system by establishing and enforcing specific rules or laws.

📁 Category：Laws & Regulations 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'regula' (rule) + '-ate' (verb suffix), meaning to make or follow rules.

💡 Mnemonic

REGuLATE = REpeat Guiding LAW AT Each step. Think of repeatedly applying a rule (law) to control things.

📖 Example

Governments often regulate the speed of vehicles on highways to ensure everyone's safety. 🔊 Governments often control the speed of vehicles on highways through rules to ensure everyone's safety.

🔗 Collocations

regulate prices – To officially control the cost of goods and services.

regulate industry – To control the activities of a particular business sector by law.

strictly regulate – To control something with very firm and precise rules.

🔄 Synonyms

control (v.) – To have power over the management or direction of something.

govern (v.) – To officially control and direct public affairs, including making and enforcing rules.

supervise (v.) – To observe and direct the execution of a task or the work of people.

🚫 Antonyms

deregulate (v.) – To remove government rules and controls from a business or industry.

🌱 Derivatives

regulation (n.) – An official rule or the act of controlling.

📖 Cultural Story

Derived from Latin 'regula', meaning a ruler, bar, or pattern. Historically used in Roman law and engineering. Its evolution from a physical measuring tool to abstract concepts of control and order reflects the growth of administrative systems.

Meaning 2：adjust to function properly (regulate)

regulate 🔊

/ˈreɡjəleɪt/

To adjust or control something to work correctly or stay at the right level.

Visual guide to regulate: hand adjusting a thermostat to control temperature.

adjust to function properly 🔊

➕

/əˈdʒʌst tuː ˈfʌŋkʃən ˈprɒpərli/

To set or maintain a machine, system, or biological process at a correct or desired level so that it operates as intended.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

This smart thermostat can automatically regulate the room temperature to keep you comfortable all day. 🔊 This smart thermostat can automatically adjust the room temperature to function properly and keep you comfortable all day.

🔗 Collocations

regulate temperature – To adjust and maintain heat or cold at a specific level.

regulate breathing – To consciously control the rate and depth of one's breaths.

automatically regulate – To adjust and control something by a system itself, without manual input.

🔄 Synonyms

adjust (v.) – To change something slightly to make it fit, work better, or be more suitable.

modulate (v.) – To vary the strength, tone, or pitch of something, especially to a desired degree.

fine-tune (v.) – To make small adjustments to achieve the best possible performance.

🚫 Antonyms

disrupt (v.) – To interrupt or disturb the normal process or functioning of something.

destabilize (v.) – To make a system, government, or situation become unstable or lose its balance.

🌱 Derivatives

regulator (n.) – A device or mechanism that controls a process, or an official who supervises an industry.

regulatory (adj.) – Relating to the act of controlling or an official rule.