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

Etymology

Origin of guideline

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

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

Adults who met the guideline of 150 minutes of exercise per week had a modest 8 to 9% lower cardiovascular risk.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

Pozen’s suggested 90/10 portfolio is just another guideline, Milan noted.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026

In addition to announcing that agency staff must now get Aronowitz’s sign-off before any major enforcement action, it set a new guideline for investigators.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

"This new guideline will help improve consistency of care, increase awareness of the condition, and support earlier diagnosis and management."

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

I realized then why he had used our rope sparingly; why he had made my guideline down to east beach from vines instead of rope.

From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor

Harabedian has said that most of the contracts and guidelines of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — the government-sponsored organizations that hold or guarantee the majority of U.S. mortgages — do not bar loan deferrals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

There are a number of well-known spending guidelines.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

America’s corporate tech leaders say they are in uncharted territory setting guidelines around employee AI usage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

He added while current guidelines may work for simple AI products trained to spot known symptoms on scans, for example, the rules do not apply to more complex models.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

Here are some guidelines for when you need a hyphen and when you don’t.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

Related Words

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