DICTATE

(GIVE ORDERS) [verb] - to give orders, or state exactly, with total authorityThe President has so much power within the country that he is able to dictate to the government. [I]I will not be dictated to in this manner! [I]The UN will dictate (= state exactly) the terms of the withdrawal of troops from the region. [T]He argued that the government should not be allowed to dictate (= state exactly) what children are taught in schools. [+ wh- word]My mother is always trying to dictate (= state exactly) what I wear. [+ wh- word]The tennis club rules dictate (= state) that suitable footwear must be worn on the courts. [+ that clause]Dictate can also mean influence or make necessary.The party's change of policy has been dictated by its need to win back the support of voters. [T]The design of the house was dictated by the small size and irregular shape of the plot of land on which it was built. [T]I wanted to take a year off to travel when I left college, but my financial situation dictated that I got a job. [+ that clause]