legalise
/ˈliːɡəlaɪz/
legalise is the non-Oxford British English standard spelling of legalize.
Meaning of legalize
Verb
legalize (third-person singular simple present legalizes, present participle legalizing, simple past and past participle legalized)
- To make legal or permit under law. Either by decriminalising something that has been illegal or by specifically permitting it.
- There is a debate whether or not to legalize some of the softer drugs.
- Synonyms:
- legitimate
Forms of legalise
| third-person singular present | legalises |
|---|---|
| present participle | legalising |
| past participle | legalised |
| past | legalised |
| alternative form | legalize |
Origin of legalise
From legal + -ise. Piecewise doublet of loyalise.
Words formed from legalise
Questions about legalise
- What is legalise the non-Oxford British English standard spelling of?
- Legalise is the non-Oxford British English standard spelling of legalize.
- How do you pronounce legalise?
- Legalise is pronounced /ˈliːɡəlaɪz/.
Words near legalise in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: legalise (page history and authors); legalize (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-legalise.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-legalise.wav.
Cite this entry: “legalise.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/legalise. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.