From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmandateman‧date1 /ˈmændeɪt/ ●○○ noun 1 [countable]PGPOWER if a government or official has a mandate to make important decisions, they have the authority to make the decisions because they have been elected by the people to do somandate to do something The president was elected with a clear mandate to tackle violent crime.mandate for a popular mandate for election reformmandate from I sought a mandate from my constituents to oppose this tax.have/be given a mandate Sometimes a president thinks he has more of a mandate than he really does.2 [countable]TELL/ORDER somebody TO DO something an official instruction given to a person or organization, allowing them to do something Matters debated in meetings do not become a mandate automatically.3 [countable, uncountable]PG the power given to one country to govern another countryCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa clear mandateThe vote gave the trade union a clear mandate to pursue a better settlement.a popular mandate (=when someone or something wins a vote by a large amount)He called the election in the hope of receiving a popular mandate.an electoral mandate (=gained by winning an election)Ford took over when Nixon resigned, and thus did not have an electoral mandate of his own.verbshave a mandateIn Venezuela, Chavez said he had a mandate for reform.give somebody a mandateHe hoped that signs of economic recovery would persuade voters to give him a mandate in the election.win a mandateHe won his mandate to continue his premiership.receive/obtain/get a mandateOn this issue he does seem to have received a clear mandate from the electorate.seek a mandate (=ask for a vote to show agreement with a leader or with ideas)The government was seeking a mandate to continue the war.
Examples from the Corpus
mandate• The White House initiative functioned in this way not as a mandate but as a disincentive.• Lebanon became a French mandate after World War I.• While he has railed against new government mandates, Dole supported a mandate requiring more use of ethanol.• Preval has no mandate and he knows it.• The result was seen as crucial in that it provided Sandiford with a personal mandate to govern.• It is this secondary mandate which ensures that our bi-cameral system can properly function.• On closer inspection, however, that mandate appears to be distinctly fragile.sought a mandate• I sought a mandate from my constituents to oppose the poll tax and made it plain exactly what I would do.mandateman‧date2 /mænˈdeɪt/ verb [transitive] 1 formalTELL/ORDER somebody TO DO something to tell someone that they must do a particular thing These measures were mandated by the IMF.mandate that Justice mandates that we should treat all candidates equally.2 POWERto give someone the right or power to do somethingbe mandated to do something The committee was mandated to co-ordinate measures to help Poland.Grammar Mandate is usually passive in this meaning.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
mandate• He argued that what really mattered in science teaching could never be mandated and could only be acquired by experience of teaching.• State of the Union speeches are mandated by the Constitution.• If enacted, the new law would force them to charge three strikes in all cases mandated by the legislation.• The state mandates that high school students take three years of English.• It also mandated that no child could be hit without parental consent.• It was the state that mandated the date for the charter election.• The topic being debated was whether a doctor is mandated to stop life-sustaining treatment at the patient's request.mandate that• Hawaii and Rhode Island go further, mandating that agency fees be charged to teachers.• The other mandate that emerged in Tuesday's election was for more responsible city spending.• For exam-ple, Minnesota mandates that every insurance policy include toupees for people who go bald.• It also mandated that no child could be hit without parental consent.• Currently, a court-ordered desegregation plan mandates that no single ethnicity can constitute more than 40 percent of a school.• Dole campaigns vigorously against federal mandates that require states to provide stipulated social benefits or meet a variety of federal guidelines.• Due respect for the reach of congressional power within the federal system mandates that we do so now.• The spirit of fairness, however, mandates that we should treat all papers equally and with candour.From Longman Business Dictionarymandateman‧date1 /ˈmændeɪt/ noun [countable]1LAW the right and the power to do something that is given to a government or elected official as the result of a votemandate to do somethingThe re-election of the present board of directors gives them a clear mandate to go forward with current corporate plans.The board has acted with a clear shareholder mandate (=authority given by shareholders).2LAWan official instruction given to a person or organization, allowing them to do somethingStates are under a federal mandate (=a right given by the central US government) to increase fines for violation of worker safety and health rules.3the period of time that a politician or elected official has their positionthe day the President’s mandate came to an end4BANKING an official document giving a bank or other financial institution the authority to deal with your account → bank mandatemandateman‧date2 /mænˈdeɪt/ verb [transitive]LAW1to give an official order that something must be doneThe German system shows that it is possible to mandate universal health insurance through a variety of individual plans.mandate somebody to do somethingeconomists mandated to produce periodic reports on the state of the economy2to give someone the right or power to do somethingThe Securities and Exchange Commission is mandated by Congress to set accounting rules for US corporations.3American English to make something mandatorymandate somebody to do somethinglegislation that mandates employers to provide time offmandate thatAmendments to the Fair Housing Law mandated that all new housing must be accessible to the handicapped. —mandator noun [countable]Federal mandators and state governments seemed to be competing to see who could increase the cost of car ownership faster.→ See Verb tableOrigin mandate1 (1500-1600) Latin mandatum, from mandare “to give into someone's hand, command”, from manus “hand” + dare “to give” 