verb · formal
legalize
UK/ˈliːɡəlaɪz/US/ˈliːɡəˌlaɪz/LE·ga·lize
to make something legal or acceptable by law
Examples
“Some countries have legalized same-sex marriage in recent years.”
“The government moved to legalize informal housing to protect residents' rights.”
“Debates about whether to legalize certain drugs are complex.”
Band 8 sentence
“Policymakers argue that legalizing certain substances could reduce crime associated with black markets, but the social effects are debated.”
Collocations
- legalize drugs
- legalize marriage
- legalize something by law
Word family
Common mistakes
They legalize same-sex marriage last year.→They legalized same-sex marriage last year.
The policy was legalize by the new law.→The policy was legalized by the new law.
Say it for a higher band
5make legal→6allow by law→7+legalize
Synonyms
legitimize
Easily confused
legitimize
“The king's endorsement helped legitimize the new government.”
Related words
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In -ize
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