Word family noun legality ≠ illegality legalization legalese illegal adjective legal ≠ illegal legalistic verb legalize adverb legally ≠ illegally
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlegalizele‧gal‧ize (also legalise British English) /ˈliːɡəlaɪz/ ●●○ verb [transitive] LEGALto make something legal so that people are allowed to do it OPP criminalize Abortion was legalized in the 1960s. —legalization /ˌliːɡəlaɪˈzeɪʃən $ -lə-/ noun [uncountable] a campaign calling for the legalization of certain drugs→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
legalize• Short of legalizing abortion, lives could be saved if doctors were better trained to deal with septic or incomplete abortions.• He introduced a bill to legalize abortion two years before Roe v. Wade.• Legislation to legalize casino gambling could be introduced in Congress next fall.• Gambling has recently been legalized in three towns in Colorado.• Denmark recently legalized marriage between gay couples.• Uniate congregations had been legalized on Dec. 1,1989, and 600 parishes had registered by January 1990.• Eight further political parties were formally legalized on Feb. 5 and other parties were encouraged to apply for registration.• The measure would have legalized slot machines in Palm Springs and allowed voters to approve other casinos later.From Longman Business Dictionarylegalizele‧gal‧ize /ˈliːgəlaɪz/ (also legalise British English) verb [transitive]LAW to make something legal that was previously against the lawCasino gambling was legalized as a way to rebuild Atlantic City.→ See Verb table 