Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mandate

/ˈmeə̯ndeɪ̯t/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.97 in modern English

Syllables
man-date
IPA
/ˈmeə̯ndeɪ̯t/
10
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The order or authority to do something, as granted to a politician by the electorate.

noun

A period during which a government is in power.

Canadian usage

verb

To (officially) require someone to do something or act in a certain way, to give them the authority to do so; to command.

verb

To make mandatory.

verb

To administer or assign a territory to a nation under a mandate.

Example Sentences

Etymology

First attested in 1521; borrowed from Latin mandātum (“a charge, order, command, commission, injunction”), substantivized from the neuter forms of mandātus, perfect passive participle of mandō (“to commit to one's charge, order, command, commission, literally to put into one's hands”) (see -ate (noun-forming suffix)), from manus (“hand”) + -dere (“to put”). Sense 3 in Canadian English is likely a semantic loan from French mandat.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmeə̯ndeɪ̯t/

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce mandate?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmeə̯ndeɪ̯t/.
What does mandate mean?
An official or authoritative command; an order or injunction; a commission; a judicial precept; an authorization.
Where does mandate come from?
First known use: First attested in 1521.

How to pronounce mandate

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mandate”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmeə̯ndeɪ̯t/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “mandate”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “mandate” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.