ordinance
Americannoun
-
an authoritative rule or law; a decree or command.
- Synonyms:
- order
-
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.
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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
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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.
See Examples For:
The council approved the ordinance in a 3-2 vote.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
They are gathering signatures for a petition to put the ordinance to a citywide referendum.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The city has argued in court filings that the ordinance didn’t specifically ban teaching yoga in its parks, but required people seeking to engage in commercial activity or lectures to obtain a permit.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
The panel found Hubbard and Baack were likely to succeed in their 1st Amendment claim and granted a preliminary injunction barring the city from enforcing the ordinance as it had been.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Later, his son King Louis abolished the ordinance of the infantry and began to hire Swiss troops.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
Rules required minimum lot sizes of 5,750 square feet for single-family homes, and strict single-family zoning ordinances were criticized for creating sprawl.
From Barron's ● May 31, 2026
Both state and federal safeguards already exist to govern data use and prevent pricing coordination, making local ordinances targeting software redundant and potentially counterproductive.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
Collect enough of those points, and players are granted access to devastating ordinances.
From Slate ● Mar. 6, 2026
There is no zoning, noise rules, light ordinances or land-use limits.
From Salon ● Dec. 28, 2025
Instead of limiting the number of animals, cities could make ordinances to keep people from hoarding chickens in living rooms.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
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.
