Also spelled legalise

US /ˈliː.ɡəl.aɪz/ UK /ˈliː.ɡəl.aɪz/
verb Freq #35384

Meanings

  1. 1
    verb

    to make something lawful or officially permitted, especially something that was previously illegal

    Parliament voted to legalize independent trade unions.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 verb · to make something lawful or... authorizepermitmake lawful
Opposites
criminalizeillegalizeoutlawban
Word family
Forms legalized
Derived forms legalizedlegalizinglegalization
Related forms legallawfullegislationdecriminalize

Etymology

Formed in English from legal + -ize, literally 'to make legal.' Legal came through Old French from Latin legalis ('relating to law'), from lex ('law').

Topics

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