Legal Definitions - dictate

Definition: To speak out loud for someone else to write down or to give orders in a forceful way.

Examples:

• The boss dictated a memo to his assistant.
• The teacher dictated a passage for the students to write down.
• The king dictated new laws to his subjects.

The first two examples show the first definition of dictate, where someone speaks out loud for someone else to write down. In the first example, the boss is speaking and the assistant is writing down what he says. In the second example, the teacher is speaking and the students are writing down what she says.

The third example shows the second definition of dictate, where someone gives orders in a forceful way. In this example, the king is giving orders to his subjects, and they must follow them because he is in a position of authority.