From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishregulatorreg‧u‧la‧tor /ˈreɡjəleɪtə $ -ər/ AWL noun [countable] 1 TECONTROLan instrument for controlling the temperature, speed etc of something a heat regulator2 RULE/REGULATIONsomeone who makes sure that a system operates properly or fairly traffic safety regulators
Examples from the Corpus
regulator• The Commission also advocates separation between operators and regulators.• Politicians and regulators have connived in that illusion-and continue to do so.• federal bank regulators• For years, vintners lobbied regulators without success for permission to advertise therapeutic or curative effects of wine.• A judge refused last week a request by rival insurers to remove the Pennsylvania regulator from ruling on the case.• The Bill puts the customer first by giving stronger powers to the regulators of telecommunications, gas, electricity and water.• Yet the regulators have given it a dispensation: the rubbish has to go somewhere.• The thrifts, many of which were forced into insolvency, say the change violated contractual promises that federal thrift regulators.From Longman Business Dictionaryregulatorreg‧u‧la‧tor /ˈregjəleɪtə-ər/ noun [countable]JOBLAW a person or organization who is chosen by the government to be responsible for making sure that an industry or system works legally and fairlyOftel, the official telecommunications regulator 