regulation

[reg-yuh-ley-shuhn]

noun

1. a law, rule, or other order prescribed by authority, especially to regulate conduct.

   Safety regulations require the use of impact-resistant helmets.

2. the act of regulating or the state of being regulated.

   Adolescence is a potentially important time in the development of emotion regulation.

   Synonyms: adjustment, disposition, dispensation, management, direction

3. Sports.,  the normal, prescribed duration of a game according to the sport's regulations, exclusive of any extra innings, overtime period, etc..

   The Knicks tied the score in the final seconds of regulation, sending the game into overtime.

4. Biology.,  the internal response that an organism undergoes to adapt to external stimuli (control ).

   Regulation of blood flow is an essential mechanism for delivering oxygen and glucose to the tissues that need it most.

5. Genetics.,  the act or process of controlling the expression of genes.

   Scientists are hoping to discover whether viruses can be used to study gene regulation in mammalian cells.

6. Embryology.,  the process by which an embryo can continue to develop normally after it has been damaged.

   Added cells become normally integrated into the body of the host embryo, which provides additional evidence of embryonic regulation.

7. Electronics.,  the difference between maximum and minimum voltage drops between the anode and the cathode of a gas tube for a specified range of values of the anode current.

8. Machinery.,  the percentage difference in some quantity related to the operation of an apparatus or machine, as the voltage output of a transformer or the speed of a motor, between the value of the quantity at no-load operation and its value at full-load operation.

adjective

1. prescribed by or conforming to regulation.

   regulation army equipment.

2. usual; normal; customary.

   the regulation decorations for a Halloween party.

3. Sports.,  during the normal, prescribed duration of a game.

   Both teams are entitled to two timeouts in each half of regulation play.

regulation

/ ˌrɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of regulating

2. a rule, principle, or condition that governs procedure or behaviour

3. a governmental or ministerial order having the force of law

4. embryol the ability of an animal embryo to develop normally after its structure has been altered or damaged in some way

5. (modifier) as required by official rules or procedure

   regulation uniform

6. (modifier) normal; usual; conforming to accepted standards

   a regulation haircut

7. electrical engineering the change in voltage occurring when a load is connected across a power supply, caused by internal resistance (for direct current) or internal impedance (alternating current)

regulation

1. Laws through which governments can control privately owned businesses.

Other Word Forms

• nonregulation noun
• overregulation noun
• reregulation noun
• superregulation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of regulation¹

First recorded in 1665–75; regulate + -ion

Example Sentences

Consumer Scotland has called for improvements to a Scottish government bill that aims to tighten regulation around cosmetic treatments.

Read more on BBC

"Scotland has some of the highest welfare regulations in the world and we're very proud of the sector that we've built."

Read more on BBC

"This discovery comes at a time when regulatory T cells have achieved major recognition as master regulators of immunity, highlighting a shared logic of immune regulation across cell types," he said.

Read more on Science Daily

A major problem, Davis said, were regulations Beijing had introduced in recent years restricting the export of Chinese rare-earth technology that would have made it difficult for the Australian and Chinese companies to work together.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Each country has their own regulations and licenses that govern telecommunications services, which can be tricky and time-consuming to navigate.

Read more on MarketWatch

Related Words

• adjustment 
• arrangement 
• control 
• governance 
• management 
• settlement 
• supervision