0 the authority given to an elected group of people, such as a government, to perform an action or govern a country:
At the forthcoming elections, the government will be seeking a fresh mandate from the people.
[ + to infinitive ] The president secured the Congressional mandate to go to war by three votes.
1 the name of an area of land that has been given to a country by the UN, following or as part of a peace agreement
2 to give official permission for something to happen:
The UN rush to mandate war totally ruled out any alternatives.
3 to order someone to do something:
[ + to infinitive ] Our delegates have been mandated to vote against the proposal at the conference.
4 authority to act in a particular way given to a government or a person, esp. as a result of a vote or ruling:
[ + to infinitive ] The president secured a congressional mandate to send troops to Bosnia.
6 an official order or requirement to do something:
mandate to do sth Norad's mandate is to promote effective management of funds for development assistance.
The region is already under federal mandate to reduce air pollution.
7 official permission or the right to do something, usually given as the result of a vote:
mandate to do sth The government claimed that it had a mandate to raise taxes.
The CEO disputed that the disposal of the 10.5 million shares was based on the shareholder mandate.
8 the period of time that a government or an elected person is allowed to remain in power:
10 to officially require someone to do something, or something to happen:
11 to give official permission for someone to do something, or for something to happen:
mandate sb to do sth The department was mandated to proceed with the project.
Both, in the first instance, had essentially macroeconomic mandates - stability and growth respectively.
The new law stipulates that 60 per cent of all constitutionally mandated state and municipal funding must be allocated to primary education.
The most plausible explanation for the constitutional concern with rules is that most states of affairs are constitutionally optional-neither forbidden nor mandated.
If it is mandated that all produce be sold on market day, produce may be sold at a less-than-desirable price.
The phonologist and the phonetician have overlapping mandates inasmuch as each is charged with the description and explanation of speech production and perception.
The constantly emerging new evidence and new medications mandates a level of dynamism in formularies that may be difficult to maintain.
They might have to operate in the interstices of institutional guidelines and testing mandates.
Antiemetic prophylaxis was recommended during daily temozolomide exposure, and mandated during the conventional 5-day treatment.