rule

Nouns

  • (n) a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
    • it was his rule to take a walk before breakfast
    • short haircuts were the regulation
    regulation,
  • (n) something regarded as a normative example
    • the convention of not naming the main character
    • violence is the rule not the exception
    • his formula for impressing visitors
    normal, convention, pattern, formula,
  • (n) prescribed guide for conduct or action prescript,
  • (n) (linguistics) a rule describing (or prescribing) a linguistic practice linguistic rule,
  • (n) a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct
    • their principles of composition characterized all their works
    principle,
  • (n) the duration of a monarch's or government's power
    • during the rule of Elizabeth
  • (n) dominance or power through legal authority
    • France held undisputed dominion over vast areas of Africa
    • the rule of Caesar
    dominion,
  • (n) directions that define the way a game or sport is to be conducted
    • he knew the rules of chess
  • (n) any one of a systematic body of regulations defining the way of life of members of a religious order
    • the rule of St. Dominic
  • (n) a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system
    • the principle of the conservation of mass
    • the principle of jet propulsion
    • the right-hand rule for inductive fields
    principle,
  • (n) (mathematics) a standard procedure for solving a class of mathematical problems
    • he determined the upper bound with Descartes' rule of signs
    • he gave us a general formula for attacking polynomials
    formula,
  • (n) measuring stick consisting of a strip of wood or metal or plastic with a straight edge that is used for drawing straight lines and measuring lengths ruler,

Verbs

  • (v) exercise authority over; as of nations
    • Who is governing the country now?
    govern,
  • (v) decide with authority
    • The King decreed that all firstborn males should be killed
    decree,
  • (v) be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
    • Money reigns supreme here
    • Hispanics predominate in this neighborhood
    dominate, predominate, prevail, reign,
  • (v) decide on and make a declaration about
    • find someone guilty
    find,
  • (v) have an affinity with; of signs of the zodiac
  • (v) mark or draw with a ruler
    • rule the margins
  • (v) keep in check
    • rule one's temper
    harness, rein,

Synonyms

govern regulation decree normal convention pattern formula prescript dominate predominate prevail reign linguistic rule find principle harness rein dominion ruler

See also

close out rule out preclude

Words of close approximity

ruly
rub rue RUF rug rum run Rus rut
rube ruby ruck rudd rude ruff ruga Ruhr ruin ruly rump rune rung runt ruse rush rusk rust Ruta Ruth
rule book ruled rule-governed rule in rule of cy pres rule of evidence rule of grammar rule of law rule of morphology rule of thumb rule out ruler rulership rules of order