legalise
legalise — 動詞
1. to change the law so that an activity is no longer a crime and people can do it
合法化
使原本違法的事成為合法
to change the law so that an activity is no longer a crime and people can do it without being punished
The government finally decided to legalise same-sex marriage after years of debate.
經過多年辯論，政府終於決定讓同性婚姻合法化。
passive form: was legalised is common in news reports
Many countries have chosen to legalise cannabis for medical use only.
許多國家已選擇將大麻合法化，僅限醫療用途。
collocation: legalise for [purpose/use]
Chitra is collecting signatures for a petition to legalise the sale of traditional herbal medicines.
Chitra 正在為一項請願連署，要求讓傳統草藥的銷售合法化。
The debate over whether to legalise euthanasia continues in the national legislature.
關於是否讓安樂死合法化的辯論，仍在國會中持續進行。
After a public vote, the state became the first in the country to legalise assisted dying.
經過公投，該州成為國內第一個將輔助死亡合法化的地方。
- 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
- 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
文法句型
legalise + noun phrase
用法筆記
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.