deregulate

/ˌdiːˈreɡjuleɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌdiːˈreɡjuleɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /(ˈ)dē, də̇+/ (ame, mw)

deregulate — verb

  • deregulatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • deregulateshe / she / it
  • deregulatedpast simple
  • deregulating-ing form

1. When a government deregulates an industry or activity, it cancels or reduces the

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

When a government deregulates an industry or activity, it cancels or reduces the official rules that companies had to follow, allowing them to operate with fewer limitations.

例句

The government deregulated the electricity market, so new companies appeared and prices fell.

deregulate + [market/sector/industry]

The airline business was deregulated in the late 1970s, letting carriers offer cheaper flights.

passive: be deregulated + time reference

同義詞
  • liberalise

    Broader — often includes removing trade barriers and opening markets to foreign competition, not just domestic rules.

  • decontrol

    Narrower — usually refers to removing specific price, wage, or rent controls rather than an entire regulatory framework.

  • privatise

    Different meaning — refers to selling state-owned assets to private owners, not removing rules that all companies must follow.

反義詞
  • regulate

    The direct opposite — to impose official rules and controls on an industry.

  • restrict

    More general — to limit or control something through rules, not necessarily at the government level.

文法句型

deregulate + industry/sector/market

be deregulated

用法筆記

Frequently used in the passive. The subject is a government or regulatory authority; the object is an entire industry, sector, or type of business activity — never a single company or its internal policies.

常見錯誤

❌The company deregulated its hiring rules.
✅The government deregulated the airline industry.
💡Deregulation is done by a government to an entire industry or market, not by a company to its own internal policies.