ordinance

American  

[awr-dn-uhns] / ˈɔr dn əns /

noun

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

• preordinance noun

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

“Inexplicably, no code enforcement occurred, even though all dangerous fireworks had been banned by ordinance throughout rural Yolo County since 2001,” the report states.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

“Simply put, no changes to ordinance proposals would materially reduce prospects of wider scale dilution and would negatively impact shares,” they add.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Mr. Olivier is trying to challenge an ordinance in Brandon, Miss., that restricts protests near a public amphitheater.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

In a CBS interview on Sunday, defence secretary Pete Hegseth outlined a next phase of the US-Israeli operation that included using more powerful ordinance.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

However, unlike a similar ordinance adopted in Boston, San Francisco’s policy applies only to public employment, not to private vendors that do business with the city or county of San Francisco.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander