home rule
noun
self-government in local matters by a city, province, state, colony, or the like.
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:
"We have always worked towards independence when we got home rule in 1979 and more independence in 2009."
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026
But Denmark granted it home rule in 1979, and its 57,000 inhabitants retain the right to vote for independence.
From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026
To repeal home rule, they would have to pass a law through Congress.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2024
Bonar Law was both a true believer in the Ulster cause and a shrewd political operator, who correctly perceived that home rule could be used to bring down Asquith and the Liberals.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2024
He was a Union-loving Democrat, and a firm believer in the doctrine of home rule in the Territories.
From The Middle Period 1817-1858 by John William Burgess
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
Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit against the administration for its “unlawful actions” in violating the Home Rule Act of 1973, which granted the city partial autonomy.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2025
In 1973, Congress exercised that authority by passing the Home Rule Act, which handed District residents far greater control over their own government.
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
At the Recent Meeting of Englishmen and Scotchmen in London to form a "Home Rule Association," to assist the cause of Irish Home Rule, Lord Ashburnham took the chair.
From Donahoe's Magazine, Vol. XV, No. 4, April, 1886 Volume 15 (January 1886 - July 1886) 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.
