ordinance

American  

[awr-dn-uhns] / ˈɔr dn əns /

noun

ordinances plural

1. an authoritative rule or law; a decree or command.

   Synonyms:

   order

2. a public injunction or regulation.

   a city ordinance against excessive horn blowing.

   Synonyms:

   order

3. something believed to have been ordained, as by a deity or destiny.

4. Ecclesiastical.

   1. an established rite or ceremony.

   2. a sacrament.

   3. the communion.

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ordinance British  

/ ˈɔːdɪnəns /

noun

1. an authoritative regulation, decree, law, or practice

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preordinance
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ordinances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ordinance

1275–1325; Middle English ordinaunce (< Old French ordenance ) < Medieval Latin ordinantia, derivative of Latin ordinant- (stem of ordināns ), present participle of ordināre to arrange. See ordination, -ance

Explanation

An ordinance is a local law. Many cities have recently passed ordinances making it illegal to smoke indoors or mandatory for pet owners to curb their dogs. Ordinance can also mean the act of making someone a priest. In both senses, it means a direction or command coming down from a higher authority or an official conference. If you break an ordinance, you'll likely be fined rather than jailed. Remember that an ordinance is a rule meant to keep things in order.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ordinance ordinances

The council approved the ordinance in a 3-2 vote.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Candidates receiving the funding must abide by expenditure limits and adhere to the criteria set by statute, ordinance or charter to demonstrate broad support, such as demonstrate a large number of small dollar contributions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

Still, the way the ordinance is worded also prohibits teaching yoga for free, Pease pointed out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

The ordinance marks a brief respite in the monthslong scramble to adapt to the broad changes brought by SB 79.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

“Would you say your loud music was in violation of this ordinance, Mr. McAllister?”

From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone

Rules required minimum lot sizes of 5,750 square feet for single-family homes, and strict single-family zoning ordinances were criticized for creating sprawl.

From Barron's ● May 31, 2026

And city ordinances don’t trump First Amendment rights.

From Slate ● May 4, 2026

Oakland and several other cities have adopted ordinances requiring funds collected through service charges to be distributed among hospitality employees, not supervisors, and requires restaurants to keep documentation, in case of a city investigation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026

I went home, ran for city council and after reading Mr. Sasses’s 2018 book, “Them: Why We Hate Each Other—and How to Heal,” began revisiting local ordinances to reduce loneliness and strengthen civic life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 30, 2025

It was a place for marriages and sacred ordinances, not an everyday churchgoing experience.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel