general rule
Americannoun
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.
“The general rule is three to six months of living expenses in an emergency fund,” Pumphrey said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Her doctors highlighted that the general rule for anyone placed on the list is the patient is believed to have only a year to live.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
He stresses “the general rule that the Constitution almost never permits the Federal Government or a State to discriminate on the basis of race” except to remedy specific instances of past discrimination.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026
Many scholars question the fairness of vicarious liability in criminal cases, viewing it as an unwarranted exception to the general rule that criminal responsibility must be personal.
From Slate ● Mar. 5, 2026
This was obviously pre–Civil War, and I stank at pre–Civil War simulations as a general rule.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
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.
