legalise

IPA/lˈiːɡəlˌaɪz/
IPA/lˈiːɡəlˌaɪz/

legalise — verb

1. to change the law so that an activity is no longer a crime and people can do it

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to change the law so that an activity is no longer a crime and people can do it without being punished

Example

The government finally decided to legalise same-sex marriage after years of debate.

passive form: was legalised is common in news reports

Many countries have chosen to legalise cannabis for medical use only.

collocation: legalise for [purpose/use]

Common collocations
  • legalise same-sex marriage
  • legalise cannabis
  • legalise euthanasia
  • legalise gambling
  • legalise assisted dying
  • move to legalise
  • vote to legalise
  • campaign to legalise
Synonyms
  • decriminalise

    less weighty — removes criminal penalties but may still impose fines or regulations; 'legalise' makes it fully lawful

  • legitimise

    broader — can mean making something socially accepted or officially recognised, not necessarily changing criminal law

  • permit

    more general — simply means to allow, often through a licence or permission rather than a change in the law

Antonyms
  • criminalise

    direct opposite — to make an activity a criminal offence by law

  • outlaw

    stronger — to ban something completely and declare it illegal

  • prohibit

    formal — to forbid something by law or official rule

Grammar Patterns

legalise + noun phrase

Usage Note

Frequently used in passive constructions (e.g., 'was legalised in 2018') and in political debates about activities that were previously criminal offences, such as drug use, euthanasia, or same-sex marriage.

Common Mistakes

The government legalised a new traffic law.
The government introduced a new traffic law.
'legalise' means to stop treating something as a crime, not to create a new rule.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe making something allowed, but they operate at different levels. 'Legalise' is the strongest: it means removing all legal penalties and granting full lawful status, typically through a change in statute. 'Decriminalise' is narrower — it stops treating an act as a crime but may still regulate it by fines or licences (e.g. decriminalising cannabis possession while banning sales). 'Legitimise' reaches beyond law into social acceptance: a practice can be legitimised by tradition or public opinion even without formal legislation. 'Permit' is the most general and weakest — it simply allows something, often through case-by-case approval (a permit to park, not a change in the law). For example: 'The Netherlands legalised same-sex marriage in 2001 but only decriminalised euthanasia, leaving strict medical safeguards in place.'

legalise ↗decriminalise ↗legitimisepermit ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • government legalises
  • state legalises
  • parliament legalises
  • law legalises

Adverbs

  • fully legalise
  • partially legalise
  • eventually legalise
  • formally legalise

Phrases

  • move to legalise
  • vote to legalise
  • campaign to legalise
  • decide to legalise

Prepositions

  • legalise in [country/year]
  • legalise for [purpose/use]

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'legalise' combines the adjective 'legal' (from Latin 'legalis', meaning 'of or relating to law', itself from 'lex' meaning 'law') with the suffix '-ise' (a verb-forming suffix from Latin '-izare' via Greek '-izein'). It entered English in the late 18th century, first attested around 1790, as the need arose for a verb meaning 'to make lawful' in formal and legislative contexts.