guideline
Americannoun
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guidelines
plural
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any guide or indication of a future course of action.
guidelines on the government's future policy.
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a lightly marked line used as a guide, as in composing a drawing, a typed page, or a line of lettering.
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a rope or cord that serves to guide one's steps, especially over rocky terrain, through underground passages, etc.
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a rope or wire used in guiding the movement of stage scenery or curtains being raised or lowered.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of guideline
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.
Vocabulary lists containing guideline
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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 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
A reasonable guideline is about a year to see the impact of a rate increase on inflation, according to Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
One major flaw in this budget is that the guideline for childcare, at 7% of income, is likely not high enough.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Despite the widespread detection of mycotoxins, the levels measured in the UK products remained below recommended EU guideline levels.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 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
To give employees more autonomy, managers should first lay out clear guidelines, principles and guardrails for the work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
"There are also guidelines for investigation, endorsed by the ICRC, so they have some authority. And they emphasise promptness, thoroughness, impartiality."
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
"Current guidelines don't reflect the importance of frequency for sleep health," Baird said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
Scrolling through the various tips and guidelines on the app that morning, I see sleep listed as one of the major factors in keeping cortisol on track.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
They’re not dressed identically, but it’s clear they’ve all dressed within the same sartorial guidelines, dictated by you-know-who.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
