ordinance
Americannoun
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an authoritative rule or law; a decree or command.
- Synonyms:
- order
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a public injunction or regulation.
a city ordinance against excessive horn blowing.
- Synonyms:
- order
-
something believed to have been ordained, as by a deity or destiny.
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Ecclesiastical.
-
an established rite or ceremony.
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a sacrament.
-
the communion.
-
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of ordinance
1275–1325; Middle English ordinaunce (< Old French ordenance ) < Medieval Latin ordinantia, derivative of Latin ordinant- (stem of ordināns ), present participle of ordināre to arrange. See ordination, -ance
Explanation
An ordinance is a local law. Many cities have recently passed ordinances making it illegal to smoke indoors or mandatory for pet owners to curb their dogs. Ordinance can also mean the act of making someone a priest. In both senses, it means a direction or command coming down from a higher authority or an official conference. If you break an ordinance, you'll likely be fined rather than jailed. Remember that an ordinance is a rule meant to keep things in order.
Vocabulary lists containing ordinance
Election Lingo
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They are gathering signatures for a petition to put the ordinance to a citywide referendum.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026
The ordinance that restricts yoga instruction at city parks does not outlaw teaching other subjects including tai chi and Shakespeare, the city has conceded in court proceedings.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026
Still, the way the ordinance is worded also prohibits teaching yoga for free, Pease pointed out.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026
The Chrysler Building turned that dry ordinance into sculptural poetry.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 27, 2026
In 1943—the same year that saw North Carolina’s chief executive assuring citizens that both races found segregation “sound and sensible”—a sixteen-year-old black Durham high school student challenged the ordinance.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
