rule

American  

[rool] / rul /

noun

1. a principle or regulation governing conduct, action, procedure, arrangement, etc..

   the rules of chess.

   Synonyms:

   order, dictate, decree, regulation, law, guideline, bylaw, standard, precept

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.

   Synonyms:

   tyranny, oppression, mastery, domination, regulation, management, government, direction, sway, power, dominion, command, authority

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.

8. Astronomy. Rule, 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. Penology. rules, (formerly)

    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.

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verb (used with object)

ruled, ruling

1. to control or direct; exercise dominating power, authority, or influence over; govern.

   to rule the empire with severity.

2. to decide or declare judicially or authoritatively; decree.

   The judge ruled that he should be exiled.

   Synonyms:

   judge, dictate

3. to mark with lines, especially parallel straight lines, with the aid of a ruler or the like.

   to rule paper.

4. to mark out or form (a line) by this method.

   to rule lines on paper.

5. 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

1. to exercise dominating power or influence; predominate.

2. to exercise authority, dominion, or sovereignty.

3. to make a formal decision or ruling, as on a point at law.

4. to be prevalent or current.

   Higher prices ruled throughout France.

verb phrase

1. 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

1. as a rule, generally; usually.

   He arrives at eleven o'clock, as a rule.

2. rule the roost. roost.

rule British  

/ 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 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 dash 1

      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. normally or ordinarily

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verb

1. 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

2. (when tr, often takes a clause as object) to decide authoritatively; decree

   the chairman ruled against the proposal

3. (tr) to mark with straight parallel lines or make one straight line, as with a ruler

   to rule a margin

4. (tr) to restrain or control

   to rule one's temper

5. (intr) to be customary or prevalent

   chaos rules in this school

6. (intr) to be pre-eminent or superior

   football rules in the field of sport

7. (tr) 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

8. to be pre-eminent; be in charge

rule More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing rule

• as a rule
• exception proves the rule
• ground rules

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Related Words

See principle. 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.

Other Word Forms

• interrule verb (used with object)
• rulable adjective
• self-rule noun
• subrule noun
• underrule noun
• unruled adjective
• well-ruled adjective

Etymology

Origin of rule

First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English riule, reule, from Old French riule, from Latin rēgula “straight stick, pattern” ( regula ); (verb) Middle English riwlen, reulen, rewellen, from Old French riuler, rieuler, ruler, from Late Latin rēgulāre, derivative of rēgula

Example Sentences

No Kings is supposed to be a broad coalition of Americans — left, right and independent — united by a belief in real democracy, the Constitution and the rule of law.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

Dealers loved the Chrysler 300, which had a good amount of Mercedes hardware under the skin, but the brand struggled to adapt to a world where SUVs began to rule American roads.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

More than 3,000 samples were collected from almost 2,000 athletes during February's Winter Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy, and no anti-doping rule violations have been reported.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

“If this rule moves forward, I don’t expect rank-and-file participants to suddenly start day-trading private equity,” he says.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

“I don’t think we can rule them out as a potential threat.”

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• decree
• guideline
• law
• order
• precedent
• regulation
• ruling
• statute
• test