1. past tense of dictate; spoke words aloud for someone else to write down
2. past tense of dictate; gave orders or commands with authority
3. past tense of dictate; determined or controlled completely

Examples

• The CEO dictated a memo to her assistant.
• She dictated the letter while walking to her next meeting.
• The general dictated new orders to his troops.
• His parents dictated every aspect of his childhood schedule.
• The weather dictated our travel plans for the weekend.
• Market conditions dictated the company’s pricing strategy.
• The doctor dictated his notes into a recording device.