guideline

American  

[gahyd-lahyn] / ˈgaɪdˌlaɪn /

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of guideline

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

Example Sentences

In November, we had the first version of the current guideline, against writing new articles with LLMs, which sadly didn’t apply to existing articles, where most of the abuse was.

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

China also recently issued a guideline advancing child-friendly development more broadly, calling for improvements in schooling, medical care, travel, sports, and recreation.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

In addition to statins, the guideline includes updated recommendations on other cholesterol-lowering therapies, including ezetimibe, bempedoic acid, and injectable PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies.

From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026

And for the guideline bodies: The precision-medicine framework applied to oncology and cardiology has not yet reached metabolic pharmacology.

From Slate • Mar. 22, 2026

It’s an aspect of the art of writing which depends on intuition, experience, and guesswork, but there is also an overarching guideline.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

Related Words

• code
• ground rule
• guidance
• instruction
• protocol
• rule