home rule
noun
self-government in local matters by a city, province, state, colony, or the like.
Showing results for home rule.
home rule
Americannoun
home rule
1
British
noun
-
self-government, esp in domestic affairs
-
government the partial autonomy of cities and (in some states) counties, under which they manage their own affairs, with their own charters, etc, within the limits set by the state constitution and laws
-
the partial autonomy sometimes granted to a national minority or a colony
Home Rule
2
British
noun
Etymology
Origin of home rule
First recorded in 1855–60
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:
A Danish colony until 1953, Greenland gained home rule 26 years later and is contemplating eventually loosening its ties with Denmark.
From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026
Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, and then became a county of Denmark, before gaining home rule in 1979.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2025
They had no choice but to pursue home rule, even at risk of fracturing or destroying their own party.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2024
Many states have home rule laws or constitutional provisions that give cities some autonomy, but state legislatures still wield tremendous power.
From Slate ● Feb. 22, 2024
It is enough to say that English authority refused to abandon the home rule measure and in April, 1914, Mr. Asquith promised to vindicate the law.
From The Invisible Censor by Francis Hackett
The aspiring writer was not as active in the Home Rule campaign, which sought to restore self-government to Ireland, as some of his friends from student years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
This is already happening in Washington, where the Home Rule Act of 1973, which gave the city limited self-government, allows Congress oversight.
From Salon ● Mar. 26, 2026
Even if they weren’t, though, the Home Rule Act would not authorize them.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2025
Mayor Karen Bass, is invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act that places the Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2025
He was a determined opponent of Mr Gladstone’s Home Rule policy.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 5 "Greek Law" to "Ground-Squirrel" by Various
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.
