guideline

American  

[gahyd-lahyn] / ˈgaɪdˌlaɪn /

noun

• guidelines
  plural

1. any guide or indication of a future course of action.

   guidelines on the government's future policy.

2. a lightly marked line used as a guide, as in composing a drawing, a typed page, or a line of lettering.

3. a rope or cord that serves to guide one's steps, especially over rocky terrain, through underground passages, etc.

4. a rope or wire used in guiding the movement of stage scenery or curtains being raised or lowered.

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guideline British  

/ ˈɡaɪdˌlaɪn /

noun

1. a principle put forward to set standards or determine a course of action

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• guidelines
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of guideline

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85; guide + line ¹

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Explanation

A guideline is a rule-of-thumb or suggestion that shows or tells you how to behave. If you want to stay healthy, you might want to follow the government's dietary guidelines. Sample guideline: go easy on the salt. In the 18th century, guideline referred to an actual line that you drew on fabric before cutting. So for example, if you wanted to cut a piece of linen to make a dress, you'd draw a guideline on it first to make sure the incision would be straight. The line guided your cut; over time, the word became a metaphor for a guide to any sort of action.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

guideline guidelines

The health watchdog said, external the advice aimed to improve consistency of care, increase awareness and support earlier diagnosis and management, with the final guideline due to be published on 27 January.

From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026

How much credence a court gives to both the guideline range versus the commentary details matters a lot in a case like Beiard’s, as it can mean the difference of years worth of prison time.

From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2026

A Medicare decision, especially alongside a blessing from guideline groups like the American Cancer Society, is what tends to pry open the commercial market, says Dan Brennan of TD Cowen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The WHO's guideline sets 100 micrograms of ozone per cubic metre as the maximum recommended level of exposure, averaged over eight hours.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

And Justin, taking the thread with him as a guideline, went back to search for the other six.

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

In March 2020, he was fined by his club Aston Villa and apologised publicly after breaking lockdown guidelines during the pandemic after leaving his house to visit a friend.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

The eligibility guidelines for the DGA’s top prize, directorial achievement in theatrical feature film, states that “re-releases, animated films, and documentaries are not eligible.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

Under the law, the president, whose position is otherwise largely ceremonial, is afforded broad discretion, with no guidelines on how to make the choice.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

These are just suggestions, however; some people spend more while others spend less, and these guidelines are bound to change.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

Those rules are only guidelines based on patterns discovered by the theoreticians, which is why there are usually plenty of "exceptions" to every rule.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

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Related Words

• code
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• guidance
• instruction
• protocol
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