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Dictate: meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge University Press, 2026
Read the originalRead on October 17, 2026
- What it is
- The Cambridge Dictionary entry for dictate, combining the Cambridge Advanced Learner's, Academic Content and Business English dictionaries. It lists the verb sense of speaking for a person or machine to record, the verb sense of giving orders, and the noun sense of an order that must be obeyed.
- How much weight it carries
- A standard learner's and academic dictionary from Cambridge University Press. Its labels (verb, noun, formal) describe usage in English, and the entry is updated by its editors.
Facts taken from this source
- The Cambridge English Dictionary labels dictate as a formal noun, usually used in the plural, meaning an order that should be obeyed, often one that you give to yourself.
“an order that should be obeyed ... often one that you give to yourself” (Entry for dictate, noun sense)
- The Cambridge English Dictionary gives a second verb sense of dictate: to give orders, or to tell someone exactly what they must do, with total authority.
“to give orders ... tell someone exactly what they must do ... with total authority” (Entry for dictate, verb sense 'give orders')
- The Cambridge English Dictionary defines dictate, as a verb, as speaking something aloud for a person or machine to record what is said, so that it can be written down.
“to speak something aloud for a person or machine to record what is said, so that it can be written down” (Entry for dictate, verb sense 'speak')