mandate
/ˈmæn.deɪt/ · man·da·te
noun
- An official or authoritative command; an order or injunction; a commission; a judicial precept. The judge issued a mandate to the defendant to appear in court.
- The authority to do something, as granted to a politician by the electorate. The politician won the election with a strong mandate to reform the economy.
- A papal rescript. The papal mandate was a formal letter from the Pope to the bishop.
verb
- To authorize The government mandated the new policy to be implemented nationwide.
- To make mandatory The school mandated that all students wear uniforms.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Did you know? The term 'mandate' is often used in politics to describe a government's authority to implement policies, but it also has a long history in the Catholic Church, where it refers to a formal letter from the Pope to a bishop or other high-ranking official.