rule

[rool] /rul/
noun
1.
a principle or regulation governing conduct, action, procedure, arrangement, etc.:
the rules of chess.
2.
the code of regulations observed by a religious order or congregation:
the Franciscan rule.
3.
the customary or normal circumstance, occurrence, manner, practice, quality, etc.:
the rule rather than the exception.
4.
control, government, or dominion:
under the rule of a dictator.
5.
tenure or conduct of reign or office:
during the rule of George III.
6.
a prescribed mathematical method for performing a calculation or solving a problem.
7.
ruler (def 2).
8.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Norma.
9.
Printing. a thin, type-high strip of metal, for printing a solid or decorative line or lines.
10.
Law.
  1. a formal order or direction made by a court, as for governing the procedure of the court (general rule) or for sending the case before a referee (special rule)
  2. a legal principle.
  3. a court order in a particular case.
11.
rules, Penology.
  1. a fixed area in the neighborhood of certain prisons within which certain prisoners were allowed to live.
  2. the freedom of such an area.
12.
Obsolete, behavior.
verb (used with object), ruled, ruling.
13.
to control or direct; exercise dominating power, authority, or influence over; govern:
to rule the empire with severity.
14.
to decide or declare judicially or authoritatively; decree:
The judge ruled that he should be exiled.
15.
to mark with lines, especially parallel straight lines, with the aid of a ruler or the like:
to rule paper.
16.
to mark out or form (a line) by this method:
to rule lines on paper.
17.
to be superior or preeminent in (a specific field or group); dominate by superiority; hold sway over:
For centuries, England ruled the seas.
verb (used without object), ruled, ruling.
18.
to exercise dominating power or influence; predominate.
19.
to exercise authority, dominion, or sovereignty.
20.
to make a formal decision or ruling, as on a point at law.
21.
to be prevalent or current:
Higher prices ruled throughout France.
Verb phrases
22.
rule out,
  1. to prove to be unrelated or not for consideration; eliminate; exclude:
    to rule out the possibility of error.
  2. to make impossible or impracticable:
    The rainstorm ruled out the holiday camping.
Idioms
23.
as a rule, generally; usually:
He arrives at eleven o'clock, as a rule.
24.
rule the roost. roost (def 6).
Origin
1175-1225; (noun) Middle English riule, reule < Old French riule < Latin rēgula straight stick, pattern (see regula); (v.) Middle English riwlen, reulen, rewellen < Old French riuler, rieuler, ruler < Late Latin rēgulāre, derivative of rēgula
Related forms
interrule, verb (used with object), interruled, interruling.
self-rule, noun
subrule, noun
underrule, noun
underrule, verb, underruled, underruling.
unruled, adjective
well-ruled, adjective
Synonyms
1. standard, law, ruling, guide, precept, order. See principle. 4. command, domination, mastery, sway, authority, direction. 13. Rule, administer, command, govern, manage mean to exercise authoritative guidance or direction. Rule implies the exercise of authority as by a sovereign: to rule a kingdom. Administer places emphasis on the planned and orderly procedures used: to administer the finances of an institution. Command suggests military authority and the power to exact obedience; to be in command of: to command a ship. To govern is authoritatively to guide or direct persons or things, especially in the affairs of a large administrative unit: to govern a state. To manage is to conduct affairs, i.e., to guide them in a unified way toward a definite goal, or to direct or control people, often by tact, address, or artifice: to manage a business. 14. order, judge.
Examples from the web for rule
  • Authors must decide the rule for terminating data collection before data collection begins and report this rule in the article.
  • Easing a disclosure rule that has been burdensome for private companies should be done by tweaking, rather than gutting.
  • Final decisions on any rule revisions are not expected until then.
  • Bizarre, then, that the catalyst for all this outrage is a rule change that is long overdue.
  • The administration also withdrew a proposed rule that would have weakened air pollution controls for coal-fired plants.
  • Everyone is connected to everything these days and gadgets rule our lives.
  • These predators and their kin have come to rule the netherworld between dry land and deep water.
  • There can be only one top-dog collider in physics, one ring-shaped machine to rule them all.
  • The rule in human development, though it took a long time to recognize, is diversity.
  • Another general rule is to sow seeds twice as deep as the seed is wide.
British Dictionary definitions for rule

rule

/ruːl/
noun
1.
an authoritative regulation or direction concerning method or procedure, as for a court of law, legislative body, game, or other human institution or activity: judges' rules, play according to the rules
2.
the exercise of governmental authority or control: the rule of Caesar
3.
the period of time in which a monarch or government has power: his rule lasted 100 days
4.
a customary form or procedure; regular course of action: he made a morning swim his rule
5.
the rule, the common order of things; normal condition: violence was the rule rather than the exception
6.
a prescribed method or procedure for solving a mathematical problem, or one constituting part of a computer program, usually expressed in an appropriate formalism
7.
a formal expression of a grammatical regularity in a linguistic description of a language
8.
any of various devices with a straight edge for guiding or measuring; ruler: a carpenter's rule
9.
  1. a printed or drawn character in the form of a long thin line
  2. another name for dash1 (sense 13) en rule, em rule
  3. a strip of brass or other metal used to print such a line
10.
(Christianity) a systematic body of prescriptions defining the way of life to be followed by members of a religious order
11.
(law) an order by a court or judge
12.
as a rule, normally or ordinarily
verb
13.
to exercise governing or controlling authority over (a people, political unit, individual, etc): he ruled for 20 years, his passion for her ruled his life
14.
(when transitive, often takes a clause as object) to decide authoritatively; decree: the chairman ruled against the proposal
15.
(transitive) to mark with straight parallel lines or make one straight line, as with a ruler: to rule a margin
16.
(transitive) to restrain or control: to rule one's temper
17.
(intransitive) to be customary or prevalent: chaos rules in this school
18.
(intransitive) to be pre-eminent or superior: football rules in the field of sport
19.
(transitive) (astrology) (of a planet) to have a strong affinity with certain human attributes, activities, etc, associated with (one or sometimes two signs of the zodiac): Mars rules Aries
20.
rule the roost, rule the roast, to be pre-eminent; be in charge
Derived Forms
rulable, adjective
Word Origin
C13: from Old French riule, from Latin rēgula a straight edge; see regulate
Word Origin and History for rule
n.

c.1200, "principle or maxim governing conduct, formula to which conduct must be conformed" from Old French riule, Norman reule "rule, custom, (religious) order" (in Modern French partially re-Latinized as règle), from Vulgar Latin *regula, from Latin regula "straight stick, bar, ruler;" figuratively "a pattern, a model," related to regere "to rule, straighten, guide" (see regal). Replaced Old English wealdan.

Meaning "regulation governing play of a game, etc." is from 1690s. Phrase rule of thumb first attested 1690s. Rule of law "supremacy of impartial and well-defined laws to any individual's power" is from 1883. Meaning "strip used for making straight lines or measuring" is recorded from mid-14c. Typography sense is attested from 1680s.

v.

c.1200, "to control, guide, direct," from Old French riuler "impose rule," from Latin regulare (see regulate). Legal sense "establish by decision" is recorded from early 15c. Meaning "mark with lines" is from 1590s. Meaning "to dominate, prevail" is from 1874. "Rule Brittania," patriotic song, is from 1740. Related: Ruled; ruling.

rule in Medicine

rule (rōōl)
n.

  1. A usual, customary, or generalized course of action or behavior.

  2. A generalized statement that describes what is true in most or all cases; a standard.

Slang definitions & phrases for rule

rule

verb

To dominate; to be the most important: Girls rule!


Idioms and Phrases with rule

rule

also see: